Former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi blames his former executive secretary Major Mazlina Mazlan negligence in handling his finances, besides using YAB cheques to pay for his credit card bills without his instruction or knowledge.
“Mazlina had used my signature stamp on the Yayasan Akalbudi cheques that were used to pay for personal credit card bills as well as my wife’s (Datin Seri Hamidah Khamis) without my knowledge…the stamp should have been used on certificates of appreciation and festive season greeting cards.
“I have never ordered Mazlina to use the Yayasan Akalbudi cheques that I have pre-signed for purposes other than charity and I have never allowed Mazlina to use signature stamps or pre-signed cheques for credit card payment purposes or to pay for my vehicle insurance policy,“ Bernama quoted him as saying when reading out his witness statement at the defence proceedings.
Zahid also said that she made credit card payments amounting to RM71,283 instead of RM65,153.32.
“Besides that, she (Mazlina) also underpaid the credit card bill, paying only RM2,600, when she should have paid RM64,668.24.
“As a trained and experienced banker, I state that if I knew Mazlina was behaving in this way I would not give her permission and would stop her actions immediately,” he added.
To a question why should Mazlina make the extra payment, Ahmad Zahid said: “This is what I do not understand, why pay more and sometimes pay less, it means she was negligent.
“I have to pay for other people’s negligence. Where is the justice? Zahid said.
He also denied Mazlina had ever shown the monthly credit card statements to him.
“She said she would give me the credit card statements, that she would come to my office, I waited but she didn’t come and pretended to forget about it, every time I asked about this, she would give me so many excuses.
“I am a very busy person … I prioritise my duties for the ministry and the country, that is why I cannot detect any negligence by Mazlina in managing my personal finances and Yayasan Akalbudi’s,“ he said.
Ahmad Zahid is on trial over 47 criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering charges involving Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) funds.
