FORMER prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had visited him in his home shortly before he became prime minister for the second time to ask for help on his court case.

Dr Mahathir said Zahid was accompanied by several individuals during the visit.

“Zahid did come to my house with several people. He tried to be nice to me.

“At the time, there was a possibility I would become prime minister. But I know that Zahid’s problem is that he may be arrested for his crimes.

“I also heard that he tried to get his case taken care of via the courts. He tried to get the investigations to stop,” Dr Mahathir said at a press conference in Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana in Putrajaya.

Dr Mahathir was appointed prime minister again when Pakatan Harapan came into power in 2018.

Earlier this month, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, at a ceramah in Tangkak, alleged that Zahid had paid him a visit too, soon after he became the prime minister to ask for help in his criminal cases.

Muhyiddin, who is the Bersatu president, said he had refused to help, which had prompted Zahid to work to unseat the prime minister.

Zahid faces 47 counts of money-laundering, criminal breach of trust and bribery over tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi, a charitable organisation he founded.

Zahid, however, denied seeking Muhyiddin’s help for criminal charges to be dropped against him, and is ready to take a “sumpah laknat” to support the denial.

He also challenged Muhyiddin to do the same.

Responding to his challenge yesterday, Muhyiddin said there is no need for him to take the oath as he was telling the truth.

A “sumpah laknat” is a Muslim oath asking for divine retribution in the form of a curse on the lying party. – February 23, 2022.