Akmal takes down bank account details after receiving RM45k donations, maintains auction

 

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has taken down the bank account details he initially shared to facilitate an auction aimed at gathering funds to pay the RM300,000 he owes Teresa Kok after losing a defamation suit initiated by the DAP lawmaker.

In a Facebook post around four hours after his announcement on the items for sale, Akmal said he had to remove his banking information as people were channelling their donations instead of putting down deposits for his for-sale items.

He disclosed that he had garnered RM45,102.18 prior to the initial post’s edits.

“I honestly don’t want to trouble anyone to help me because I will take full responsibility and bear the costs, God willing.

“Please don’t send more money to my account so that I will not feel guilty,” he said in the new post.

The auction initiative, he added, remains ongoing. Members of the public who are interested in purchasing the item have instead been asked to contact him via mobile.

Earlier today, Akmal revealed that he is opting to auction off some of his “beloved assets,” namely his Honda X-ADV maxi-scooter and his farmed tilapia fish, to raise the funds he requires to pay his dues to Kok.

“I do not have land or a house that can be sold to make up this amount. Both (items) have their own stories (on) hard work and happiness for me.

“That is why, even writing that I want to sell them feels heavy. However, my heart would be heavier if I am forced to burden others while there are still things I can do on my own,” Akmal said in a lengthy Facebook post.

Akmal’s assets

The Honda X-ADV 750 that Akmal wants to sell is often sighted with him during his constituency visits. For the record, the market price of the maxi-scooter is around RM70,000.

The incumbent Merlimau assemblyperson has also been spotted riding a bigger motorcycle, a BMW GSA 1300 model, which has a market price of around RM150,000.

Akmal noted today that both the Honda vehicle and the fish are his assets that have been fully paid off.

In the social media post, which featured an image of him sitting forlornly by an earthen pond to the tune of Batas Senja’s "Kita Usahakan Lagi", Akmal initially said serious bidders can deposit RM100 into his account before sharing the receipt with him along with their offer for the items.

Besides attaching his Maybank bank account details and a phone number, Akmal assured that if the bid is unsuccessful, he will fully refund the RM100 deposit.

However, as of press time, the bank account details have been removed while the phone number is still included in the post.

“To friends who have prayed for me, thank you - do not feel guilty if you cannot buy or help. Your prayers and words of encouragement are already meaningful enough for me.

“Pray that I am given the strength to let go of what I love, so that I can resolve this responsibility,” he said.

Court verdict

On Monday, the Malacca High Court ordered Akmal to pay Kok RM300,000 in damages and legal costs after ruling in her favour in a defamation suit over a social media dispute concerning the government’s halal certification requirement for businesses.

The High Court also ordered Akmal to remove the impugned statements from social media, and barred him from making further defamatory statements against the Seputeh MP.

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok

The suit stemmed from Akmal’s labelling of Kok as an “old Nyonya”, among others, after she criticised the government’s proposal to make halal certification mandatory for restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork and alcohol.

Hours after the court’s verdict, Akmal posted a brief and cryptic Facebook post vowing to not back down from those in power. - Mkini