Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has pledged to reveal a purported plot that led to the arrest of Kedah Football Association (KFA) CEO Zulkifli Che Haron for involvement in alleged corruption.
Sanusi, who is KFA president, claimed that the situation which also saw the arrests of three other individuals, was an act of cruelty by certain quarters who abused government agencies for political intention and personal satisfaction.
"None of those arrested are 'rich', they are all poor. Some can't even afford to fill their car with petrol.
"There are those who were laid off and are now trying to rebuild their lives. If they got RM6 million, they won't be that poor," Harian Metro quoted Sanusi as saying.
Sanusi said that since KFA’s inception, it had funded its activities via donations, but not to the point of corruption as it has no access to any projects that require approval from the federal government.
"No one cared when KFA was in dire straits with tens of millions of ringgit in debt, outstanding players' salaries and debts to statutory bodies.
"When we slowly settled the debts bit by bit, there were those who became jealous. When the team was privatised, KFA could breathe easier but still with a commitment to continue paying off our creditors," he said.
RM6m corruption case
Yesterday, the media reported that the MACC obtained a three-day remand order until tomorrow for four individuals, including the CEO of a football association in a northern state in the country, to assist in investigating a corruption case involving over RM6 million in 2020.
The four individuals, aged between 40 and 60, were detained while giving statements at the Kedah MACC office between 5pm and 6.30pm on Thursday.
According to sources, the alleged bribery money is believed to be a reward for assisting a company owner in securing contracts for a race circuit construction project and the management, operation, and maintenance of five water reservoirs in Kedah.
Commenting further, Sanusi described the claims against the individuals as slander.
"All that is slander, and I will uncover this plot when the time comes. The water reservoirs project was done through open tender and managed by the Works Department, with approval from the federal government.
"The policy was done when Pakatan Harapan was in power for 22 months. There was no interference and there was no way to interfere in an open tender process," he said.
Sanusi also pointed out that companies awarded tenders during the period had struggled with increased costs of materials, so there was no way any could afford to donate the supposed RM6 million.
MACC senior director of investigations Hishamuddin Hashim confirmed the detention of the four individuals, and that the case is being investigated under Section 16a(B) of the MACC Act 2009. - Mkini
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