KUALA LUMPUR: It was a day of shock and surprises at courts here today with Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi freed of all corruption charges involving the foreign visa contract (VLN) and Baling Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim acquitted in another court.

The Shah Alam high court in the biggest decision involving the former deputy prime minister freed Zahid of all 40 corruption charges while in Jalan Duta, Azeez was given a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) in all of his corruption cases.

The Baling member of parliament was facing three corruption charges involving RM5.2 million and 10 money laundering offences involving RM13.9 million.

The corruption charges faced by Azeez, 55, were in connection with road projects in Perak and Kedah while the money-laundering charges involve money which he allegedly received from a company called Menuju Asas Sdn Bhd.  

He was accused of corruptly receiving the money at the CIMB Bank, Jalan Tun Perak in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 8, 2010, and at Affin Bank, Puchong City Centre, Selangor, on June 13, 2017, and April 10, 2018.

On the money laundering charges, Abdul Azeez was accused of committing the offences in the Klang Valley between March 8, 2010, and Aug 30, 2018.

Meanwhile, another Umno leader Kinabatangan member of parliament Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad also attended court for the first day of their defence against charges of accepting RM2.8 million through corrupt means.

However, the court granted them a stay pending the disposal of their application to review a lower court decision ordering them to answer charges against them.