Zahid is currently trending on Twitter, with more than 12,000 posts mentioning the former deputy prime minister.

One user, who goes by the handle @shieranism, exclaimed: “Zahid freed? Seriously? What the fish”.

Another, who goes by @adelkamall, remarked how good Zahid’s lawyer must have been.

User @YbSadik said it was “disturbing” news. “Anyhow, hope Zahid won’t be too happy. I believe the worst is yet to come for him,” @YbSadik said, referring to Zahid’s money laundering and criminal breach of trust trial.

Another user, who goes by @datukhensem, quipped that if Umno supporters could accept the court’s finding on Zahid, they would need to accept the decision on former prime minister Najib Razak, who was recently jailed after losing his appeal in the SRC International case.

“A shameless and corrupt nation,” was how one netizen with the moniker @shanghaifish reacted to the decision, noting evidence presented during a hearing where other political leaders were said to have received “political donations”.

Zahid, 69, was acquitted by the High Court this morning of 40 charges of receiving bribes from a company to extend its foreign visa system (VLN) contract.

Judge Yazid Mustafa ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the Umno president and former deputy prime minister.

Zahid had been accused of 33 counts of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) as the then home minister to extend the firm’s contract as the operator of a one-stop centre in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain a contract for the supply of the VLN integrated system.

He was also charged with seven other counts of obtaining for himself S$1.15 million, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 from the same company in connection with his official duties.