Zahid: Credit card payments using foundation funds an ‘error’

Zahid: Credit card payments using foundation funds an ‘error’

The former deputy prime minister says a foundation employee had mistakenly used the foundation's account to pay off the bills.

Free Malaysia Today
Former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi speaking to reporters after having his statement recorded at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters today.
PUTRAJAYA:
Former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says he has reimbursed his family-run foundation and blamed an employee for mistakenly using the foundation’s money to pay his credit card bills.

“I have reimbursed the foundation in 2016. It was a transaction error by the (foundation’s) employee who used the foundation’s account when I asked him to prepare a payment through my personal account,” he said after being questioned for almost seven hours at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office today.

Zahid said there was no misuse of funds by his family-run foundation, adding that all expenditure followed the foundation’s rules.

“I have explained to the MACC and handed them a photocopy of the cheque payment,” Zahid said.

He hoped that the statement he gave to the MACC would rebut the negative perception towards him as newly elected Umno president.

It was previously reported that Zahid would be asked to clarify allegations that RM800,000 of the foundation’s money was used to pay off credit cards belonging to him and his wife.

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