The Civil Aviation Authority chairman has reminded Dr Mahathir Mohamad that it is morally wrong to make false allegations for the sake of political gain, after the agency failed to find evidence supporting the opposition leader’s claim that his plane was sabotaged.

Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said today the aircraft was unable to fly due to air leakage from the left hand nose wheel, which was a minor and common technical fault, The Star Online reported.

“Allegations of sabotage against an aircraft are extremely serious and could impact the reputation of Malaysian aviation and the country as a whole, especially in this sensitive general election period.

“It is morally wrong to make such wild and false allegation for the sake of political gain,” he said in a statement.

Dr Mahathir yesterday said he was late arriving in Langkawi because someone had tampered with the plane that was to take him to the island.

“I should have arrived in Langkawi before Friday prayers but the plane was damaged. Luckily, the pilot was able to detect the damage – if not I would have died in a crash,” he said.

An investigation was launched into his claims. – April 28, 2018.