The Umno president, who is facing corruption charges relating to Yayasan Akalbudi funds, will be away from April 21 to 30.

Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran said she had instructions not to object to the application.

Zahid’s lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, urged trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah to release his client’s passport today to enable him to obtain a visa.

Sequerah said he needed to include three more trial dates as April 26 to April 28 had to be vacated.

Zahid, who has opted to give evidence under oath, will begin his defence on April 13 and continue on April 15. Another hearing date has been fixed for July 1.

Sequerah had, in a previous sitting, fixed a total of 39 days from April to November for the trial.

Zahid is accused of 47 counts of money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving millions of ringgit 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 for money laundering.

On Jan 24, Sequerah ordered him to enter his defence as he said the prosecution had established a prima facie case.

Last month, Zahid, also a former deputy prime minister, had made an application to obtain statements recorded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from 18 witnesses who were offered to the defence.

Hisyam, in his submission today, said Zahid was not on a fishing expedition as the application was made after the close of the prosecution’s case.

“The tampering of evidence does not arise as the court has ordered the accused to enter defence,” he said.

He said the prosecution, “as the minister of justice”, must also ensure the accused obtained a fair trial.

Witnesses risked being impeached should their evidence contradict statements given to MACC during its investigations, he said, adding that the prosecution no longer had property to the statements and they were not privileged documents.

Hisyam also complained to the judge that MACC had classified the statements last month and the investigation papers now came under Section 16 of the Official Secrets Act.

“The prosecution cannot rely on a wide clause for classification and this is done with bad faith,” he said.

Deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob said the statements were “absolutely privileged” documents at all stages of the trial.

“It is undesirable as a matter of public policy to make the statements available to defence,” he said.

Raja Rozela said no witnesses could have access to their statements recorded during the investigations.

“These recorded statements are referred to prosecutors for a decision,” she said, and the defence would not suffer injustice or prejudice.

She said the prosecution would facilitate the defence to interview the witnesses who may be called to testify, and there was no element of bad faith when the statements and investigation papers were classified.

Sequerah will deliver his ruling on May 9.

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