PRIME Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it was up to Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali if he wanted to take a leave of absence pending police investigations into the sex video, in which the minister is implicated.

According to Dr Mahathir, the distribution of the video was politically motivated to end someone’s political career, referring to Azmin, who is also a PKR deputy president.

“(He) can go on leave or continue working. You cannot be deemed to be guilty before it is proven in court,” he told reporters today.

The police have so far arrested nine people including Perak PKR leader Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, political secretary to party president Anwar Ibrahim, over the distribution of the video.

Azmin had previously said the release of the video, which showed two men engaged in sexual acts, was intended to bring about the end his career.

Dr Mahathir also said he did not know about Farhash’s arrest.

“This is the first time I am hearing about it,” he said.

Yesterday, PKR information chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin suggested that Azmin should take leave pending the outcome of the police investigation.

Former Santubong PKR Youth chief Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz named Azmin as one of the two men having sex in the video, claiming that he was the other.

“This is all about politics. It is nothing about disclosing someone’s behaviour. This is to stop someone from succeeding in politics,” Dr Mahathir said.

Police sources told The Malaysian Insight that a senior PKR official was believed to be the mastermind behind the scandal, with the aim of bringing down Azmin.

Police also believe that the conspiracy goes to the upper echelons of the paryt, given that the mastermind is a senior in one state chapter and also works for a top PKR leader. – July 17, 2019.