KUALA LUMPUR: Former Bersatu chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad has denied that the party ever received the sum of RM1.3 million allegedly given to party president Muhyiddin Yassin by a visa services company.
Speaking at a press conference today, Mahathir said he had no knowledge of whether Muhyiddin had received the money in his personal capacity.
“All I know is that the funds never went into Bersatu’s coffers. Any funds received from donors would have been channelled to the treasurer as per the party’s by-laws, and Muhyiddin never surrendered any such sums to the treasurer,” said Mahathir.
“Whether or not Muhyiddin received the funds (personally), I cannot comment. Only Muhyiddin can answer that,” he added.
Muhyiddin had denied receiving such funds, saying that he was battling cancer at the time.
His denial came following High Court testimony by a former administrative manager of visa services company Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd at the corruption trial of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The witness, David Tan, said Muhyiddin received RM1.3 million between June and August 2018.
Mahathir was Bersatu chairman and prime minister at the time, with Muyhiddin as party president. Mahathir was sacked in May 2020 along with several others after the party left Pakatan Harapan to form the Perikatan Nasional government.
Concerns over Johor seceding Malaysia
Mahathir was also asked about statements regarding the possibility of Johor seceding from Malaysia because of a lack of funding from the federal government.
He said secession was an offence. “We have laws to deal with anybody who attempts to withdraw or secede a state from the federation, it’s a crime,” he said.
“If I were to suggest seceding Kedah from Malaysia, action would be taken against me, but some people are above the law so they can get away with saying such things,” said Mahathir.
The sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar had spoken on Friday about possible secessionist feelings among Johoreans over the lack of federal funds for the state.
He said he felt as if Johor was being treated like a stepchild and said that Johoreans might agitate towards secession if the trend continued. “Perhaps Johor can be more developed if we stand on our own,” he said when opening the new meeting of the Johor state assembly. - FMT
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