PAKATAN Harapan’s Yaakob Osman, who was disqualified as the coalition’s candidate for the Penaga state seat in Penang, said his “sudden” bankruptcy status was over a credit card debt some 20 years ago.

He said his lawyer had managed to pulled the records of the old MBf credit card debt that has since amounted to over RM60,000 yesterday – a day after he lodged a police report on the matter in Shah Alam.

The question, the Penang Bersatu information chief said, remained why the record never turned up in the system and he had always been in the clear until nomination day on April 28.

Speaking to a ceramah attended by some 300 people in Bertam Perdana in Kepala Batas, Yaakob apologised for his “carelessness”, adding that the fact was he never received the notices that he was facing bankruptcy action.

“The notices were sent to my old office address… all these years I thought I had cleared the credit card bill. I have had no problems all these years with my bank accounts. I was never restricted from going overseas. I am still free to travel.

“I can give no excuse but why did the bankruptcy record only turn up before nomination, and not when Bersatu was checking its candidates’ financial status earlier?

He said the whole controversy was devastating, as the people of Penaga were robbed of their right to vote for PH in the election, leaving them with a choice between Barisan Nasional and PAS.

“If you think I have been unfairly persecuted and feel sorry for me, I ask you to give your votes to PH’s candidates for Kepala Batas, Dr Zaidi Zakaria; for Bertam, Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq; and for Pinang Tunggal, Ahmad Zaki Yuddin Ahmad Rahman.

“Only if we win in Putrajaya, there will be justice and we can find out how all this happened,” said the financial consultant.

Yaakob also said he faced cynical attacks on social media following his disqualification, with some people accusing him of sabotaging his own nomination.

“Why would I want to shame myself with bankruptcy? – May 1, 2018.