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Zahid claims ‘threatened’ in 2018 for refusing to dissolve Umno, says was charged in court five months after becoming Opposition
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today claimed to have been "threatened” in 2018 about what would happen to him if he did not comply with then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s request to dissolve Umno.
Claiming that his ongoing corruption and money laundering trial is a politically-motivated persecution, Ahmad Zahid in testifying in his own defence said that he had privately met with Dr Mahathir sometime in June 2018 at the insistence of two individuals.
In that meeting, Ahmad Zahid said that Dr Mahathir had asked him to dissolve Umno and hop over to the latter's then party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM).
Ahmad Zahid said he however told Dr Mahathir that he would not dissolve Umno.
"After the meeting with Tun Mahathir, I was threatened, that if I don’t jump to PPBM and if I don’t dissolve Umno, something would be done to me,” he told the High Court.
Ahmad Zahid also told the High Court today that investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into him started after his June 2018 meeting with Dr Mahathir, saying that it was in July 2018 that he was first called in for an MACC probe in relation to this case involving 47 charges being tried against him in court today.
Ahmad Zahid said he had in September 2018 brought the top five leaders of Umno including himself to meet with Dr Mahathir, who asked them to dissolve Umno.
"We made the decision to continue becoming an Opposition political party, and it was agreed I would be Opposition Leader in Parliament,” he said.
"Officially, I was charged in this court on October 18, 2018, meaning about five months after Umno and Barisan Nasional did not become the government, meaning we became the opposition.
"And at that time when the I was slapped with the charges, I had given up my position as Opposition Leader in Dewan Rakyat,” he said.
Following the 14th general elections on May 9, 2018, the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition — which Umno is a part of — was replaced by the Dr Mahathir-led Pakatan Harapan coalition as the federal government.
In this trial, Ahmad Zahid — who is a former deputy prime minister and former home minister — is facing 47 charges, namely 12 counts of criminal breach of trust in relation to charitable foundation Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds, 27 counts of money-laundering, and eight counts of bribery charges.
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