Zahid not Umno’s pick for PM, says Ahmad Maslan denying rumours

 

Ahmad Maslan denied issuing any statement that Umno was to nominate Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as its prime minister candidate now that the letter has been acquitted.

PETALING JAYA: Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan has denied issuing a statement that the party will nominate its president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as its candidate for prime minister in the 15th general election (GE15).

Ahmad said the fake statement started going viral on social media after the Shah Alam High Court acquitted Zahid of 40 corruption charges in the foreign visa system(VLN) case on Friday.

“It’s easy to find out whether the statement was from me or not. (Just) check all my social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok,” he said on Twitter.

“If it’s not there, it’s fake.”

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The statement claimed that Umno’s Supreme Council would meet on Sept 30 to discuss a proposal to appoint Zahid as Barisan Nasional’s candidate for prime minister at GE15.

Umno previously proposed vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob as its candidate for prime minister ahead of GE15. Ismail is the current prime minister.

Zahid, 69, was acquitted after 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. - FMT