Lead counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said the charge, where the prosecution alleges that Zahid committed criminal breach of trust (CBT) over RM17.9 million in funds by transferring the money to law firm Lewis & Co, makes no mention of Ri-Yaz Assets Sdn Bhd and an attempt by Zahid’s daughter Nurulhidayah to buy shares from then director Abdul Rashid Abdul Manan.

“This is merely the prosecution’s narrative. The evidence produced by the prosecution is irrelevant.

“We must go back to the four corners of the charge,” he said in reply to the prosecution’s argument on the Bali hotel purchase, citing a legal point that “if a document appears on its face to be complete no outside evidence may be used to challenge it”.

Zahid is standing trial on 47 charges of money laundering and CBT involving funds from Yayasan Akalbudi, and accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as home minister.

Twelve of the charges are for CBT, eight for corruption, and the remaining 27 are for money laundering.

Last week, the prosecution told the court that RM17.9 million was taken from Zahid’s Yayasan Akalbudi fixed deposit accounts to acquire shares in Ri-Yaz for Nurulhidayah in 2015.

Of the RM17.9 million, RM8.6 million was paid as a deposit to buy the shares from Rashid.

However, Nurulhidayah’s bid to buy the shares failed and she demanded that the RM8.6 million deposit be refunded.

The prosecution also questioned how the Bali hotel deal was supposed to help the poor in the country.

Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran told the court that the defence was repeating its submissions on the CBT charges, but trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said the defence should know where it is going with its submissions.

The hearing is scheduled to resume on Nov 22 after Zahid returns from Munich after his medical treatment.