Umno drops lawsuit against nine party defectors, now allies

Umno has decided to drop its lawsuits against the nine parliamentarians who left Umno and joined Bersatu.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his party made the decision as both parties are now allies in the Perikatan Nasional government.

"We have now become political partners,” he was quoted by Free Malaysia Today as saying yesterday. “I have instructed our lawyer to drop the suits.”

Mohamed Apandi Ali, lawyer representing Umno and BN, said in a text message yesterday he was still awaiting proper written instruction on the matter.

In August 2019, Umno filed legal action against the nine MPs on the grounds of breach of trust and sought RM200,000 in damages from each of them.

The nine were Mustapa Mohamed (Jeli), Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (Tanah Merah), Hamzah Zainudin (Larut), Abdul Latiff Ahmad (Mersing), Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (Sabak Bernam), Rosol Wahid (Hulu Terengganu), Shahbudin Yahaya (Tasek Gelugor), Noor Azmi Ghazali (Bagan Serai) and Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Masjid Tanah).

They left Umno in late 2018 and joined Bersatu in early 2019. After the formation of the new government, most of the nine were appointed ministers and deputy ministers.

Mustapa is the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (economy) while Hamzah is home minister and Latiff is rural development minister.

Ikmal is deputy defence minister, Noor Azmi is deputy health minister, Rosol is deputy trade and consumer affairs minister, Mas Ermieyati is deputy entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister while Shahbudin is deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Trials for the nine cases, filed in the High Court of Malaya nationwide, had yet to start due preliminary objections raised by parties.

Umno is now left with 39 parliamentarians after having won 54 parliamentary seats in the 2018 general election. - Mkini