I’m a victim without political funding act, says Ahmad Maslan

Diyana Ibrahim Noel Achariam Chan Kok Leong Diyana Ibrahim, Noel Achariam, Chan Kok Leong Updated 2 years ago · Published on 30 Sep 2021 3:03PM · 2 Comments

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan says he believed would have had to pay 50 times the correct sum if he did not stand his ground and fight the MACC. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, September 30, 2021.

UMNO secretary-general Ahmad Maslan (Pontian-BN) said he was a victim for having to pay a RM1.1 million compound as settlement to corruption charges.

Ahmad, who was freed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday, said he would not have had to pay the sum or be prosecuted had laws on political funding been passed.

“I’m a political victim because there is no political funding act yet,” Ahmad said during the 12th Malaysia Plan debate in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said that he had rejected settlement offers in 2019 because the compound was too high.

“I was initially offered to pay a compound in October 2019, but I decided to fight it as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had set it at 50 times the sum for others,” Ahmad said, adding that there were others who had received RM100,000 but were compounded 25 times the amount received.

“Given that the court process was very slow, I decided to admit to receiving RM1.1 million but not RM2 million.

“I asked Najib Razak (Pekan-BN) to confirm that I had only received RM1.1 million and I decided to pay the same amount as compound and was freed of all the charges.”

Yesterday, Kuala Lumpur High Court freed Ahmad of charges for failing to declare to the Inland Revenue Board that he had received RM2 million from Najib, believed to be funds from illegal activities. The second charge was for giving a false statement to the MACC about the matter.

Judge Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh ordered Ahmad to be freed of both charges after deputy public prosecutor Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar informed the court that the prosecution was withdrawing the two charges following the accused’s payment of a RM1.1 million compound yesterday.

The judge said the prosecution had confirmed that Ahmad would not be charged again with the same offences, as he had agreed to the settlement with the compound.

In 2016, the Barisan Nasional government drafted a bill on political funding, but it was not tabled in Parliament.

Ahmad has previously accused the opposition then of being against the bill. – September 30, 2021.

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Comments

  • Yes.. The pig can fly

    Posted 2 years ago by DENGKI KE? · Reply

  • You admitted your wrong doing and it was recorded. Should the courts imposed RM5 million you would have still paid the amount of RM 5 million cause you want to avoid jail time as that would disqualified you as an MP ie Member of Pelesit. It's party time to celebrate now as on the horizon there's money to be made.

    Posted 2 years ago by Teruna Kelana · Reply