Muhyiddin didn’t raise tax-exemption issue in cabinet: Guan Eng

 

Lim Guan Eng questioned why Muhyiddin Yassin did not raise the issue of the alleged cancellation of Albukhary Foundation’s tax-exempt status when they both were part of the Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led cabinet.

In his reply to Muhyiddin’s statement of defence against his defamation suit, the former finance minister queried the timing of the allegation being raised when the former home minister was facing a criminal court case earlier this year.

Plaintiff Lim contended that defendant Muhyiddin was home minister between 2018 and 2020 during the Pakatan Harapan administration.

“The fact that the defendant did not even raise any issue related to the alleged revocation of tax-exemption to the Albukhary Foundation earlier but raising the said issue now when the defendant was facing criminal charges is nothing more than a political stunt.

“It was a desperate attempt by of the defendant to distract public attention from his criminal charges and criminal culpability by pinning the blame on the plaintiff for causing the revocation of the tax-exemption status of the Albukhary Foundation.

“If the plaintiff was indeed the person who cancelled the tax exemption to Albukhary Foundation, the defendant had more than 33 months after the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government in February 2020 to reveal the alleged wrongdoings.

“The fact that the defendant did not disclose the alleged wrongdoings involving the plaintiff shows unequivocally that the plaintiff and/or the Finance Ministry did not revoke any tax-exemption status to Albukhary Foundation,” the former Penang chief minister pointed out.

In response to the Pagoh MP’s contention that Lim has to prove in court that the Finance Ministry did not revoke the tax-exemption status, the Bagan MP said that the law of defamation suits puts the burden on the defendant to prove the alleged cancellation. 

In his statement of defence, the Bersatu president, who was prime minister during the Perikatan Nasional administration from 2020 to 2021, expressed his doubt over the veracity of the finance ministry’s statement issued in March saying neither the ministry nor its officers had revoked the exemption.

The Perikatan Nasional chairperson also claimed that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s statement in Parliament - that there were no records of Lim having revoked the foundation's tax exemption status - was “wholly irrelevant” and a mere deflection so that the DAP chairperson would not be held accountable for Inland Revenue Board's (IRB) decision on the issue.

On March 27, Lim filed a defamation suit over Muhyiddin’s alleged libellous accusation.

The civil action was filed after the former prime minister alleged that Lim was responsible for the Albukhary Foundation - headed by tycoon Syed Mokhtar Albukhary - losing its tax-exempt status. - Mkini