BARRING MPs who are facing court trials from attending Parliament violates the principle of innocent until proven guilty, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said.

He was referring to the government’s proposal to amend the House of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance 1952, as announced yesterday by the minister in charge of laws and parliament Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

In a tweet today, Ahmad, who is also Pontian MP, said the proposal violates the principle of “proving (innocence) beyond a reasonable doubt”.

“Don’t add to the persecution of those who may already be persecuted,” tweeted Ahmad who had been charged with corruption but was acquitted in September last year.

Wan Junaidi yesterday said the ordinance in question needed to be updated as it has not been changed since 1953.

Other reforms include a code of conduct for MPs and reinstating the Parliamentary Services Act to restore its independence from the executive.

Ahmad was charged with money laundering by not declaring RM2 million received in 2013 from former prime minister Najib Razak.

The prosecution last year withdrew the charges after Ahmad paid a RM1 million compound.

Najib, who is Pekan MP, is still facing corruption charges for 1MDB-related scandals.

He was found guilty in 2020 for one set of charges involving a 1MDB subsidiary and is currently appealing his conviction and sentence of 12 years’ jail and RM210 million fine in the Federal Court.

Pending this, Najib has been able to attend Parliament.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, meanwhile, is also in court for graft involving funds from Yayasan Akalbudi, charitable foundation he ran, as well as for receiving bribes while he was home minister in relation to a contract for a foreign worker visa system. 

Najib and Zahid are part of what critics and observers dub the “court cluster” in Umno that is pushing for early general elections to ride on the party’s resurgence in the hopes of retaking Putrajaya, which critics say will allow them to resolve the charges against them. – June 4, 2022.