A SENIOR party official is believed to be the mastermind of the sex video to bring down PKR deputy president and Economics Affairs Minister Azmin Ali, said police sources.

Police also believe that the conspiracy goes to the upper echelons of PKR as the mastermind holds a high party position in one state chapter and also works for a top PKR leader.

The mastermind and two others were picked up by police last night in Johor, bringing the number of arrests so far to nine.

On Sunday, police arrested six people, including Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, the former Santubong PKR youth chief who alleged that the other man in the video with him was Azmin.

“Behind this mastermind is ‘someone’ in the party. We believed the motive is to try and bring down the minister,” a police source told The Malaysian Insight.

Another source said everything in this case points to the involvement of those from one party, which he didn’t want to identify.

“The underlings in that party won’t come out with such a move. Obviously, there is someone behind them.

“This is not rocket science. This is purely politics,” he said.

Azmin was involved in the bruising party elections last year where he edged party strategist Rafizi Ramli for the deputy presidency.

The fight for the No. 2 spot split the party with supporters of both candidates, at times, involved in brawls.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad appointed Azmin to head the new and prominent economic affairs portfolio. 

Part 1 of the investigations now is on the distribution of obscene material, an offence under Section 292A of the Penal Code, for which the nine are being investigated.

“Once the sex clips are authenticated and those in them identified, then we will go after those featured in clips for unnatural sex,” the source added.

Federal CID chief Huzir Mohamed said yesterday police have received a report from CyberSecurity Malaysia tasked with verifying the clips.

Huzir, however, said the findings won’t be made public for now as they will wait for further instructions from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday the people want to know if the sex clips of Haziq and Azmin were genuine and who arranged the leak.

He said it was important that the public are given answers to these two questions.

Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador yesterday did not rule out the possibility that there was a conspiracy behind the sex videos and that those arrested so far were taking orders from someone in position.

“Yes, maybe. We are looking into that angle, too,” Hamid said.

The IGP earlier said it was possible that politicians and a pressure group were involved in the case.

Last month, a series of clips showing two men engaging in sexual acts were released on WhatsApp. Haziq subsequently said he was one of the men in the videos and that Azmin was the other.

Azmin has denied the claims, calling the affair a conspiracy to ruin his career. PKR has since sacked Haziq.

This is the second time Haziq has been arrested in connection with the case. He was picked up and held overnight by police past month. – July 17, 2019.