PKR PRESIDENT Anwar Ibrahim has taken police’s recent updates on a sex video implicating his deputy Mohamed Azmin Ali as confirmation that the economic affairs minister was not involved in the clip.

Anwar said PKR welcomed police’s statement as it showed that Azmin was not in the video.

“Taking into account that police investigations are still ongoing, and given the statement by the inspector-general of police, PKR welcomes the statement that deputy president Azmin is not involved in the video that went viral recently.

“Facial recognition turned out negative and no connection can be made between the person in the video with the individual alleged to be in it,” Anwar told a press conference during a PKR leaders’ retreat in Port Dickson today. He also issued a statement on the matter.

Asked if Azmin needed to take leave, Anwar said it would depend on the outcome of police investigations once completed.

“The party will not make any decision until police findings are complete,” he said.

Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador two days ago said there was a “high probability” that the video was authentic, but the faces of the two men in the video could not be ascertained. 

Azmin was named as the minister in the video by former Santubong PKR Youth chief Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, but has denied it and called it a plot to destroy his career.

Haziq has claimed to be the other man.

The IGP also said investigations have found the possibility that the sex video was masterminded by “a leader of a political party”, and that police did not discount a plot to bring down the minister.

Anwar’s political secretary, Farhash Wafa Salvador Farhash Rizal Mubarak, is currently still in police remand until Tuesday as part of investigations into the video.

Anwar today said PKR would not tolerate any member found to be involved in disseminating the sex video that first emerged on June 11.

“As to allegations that a member or leader of a political party is involved in disseminating the video, PKR will not tolerate this and will take action according to our constitution if any of its members is found to have broken the law,” he said. – July 20, 2019.