Mahathir denies receiving political donations from company
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has denied the allegation of receiving political donations from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia after the 14th General Election.
“I didn’t receive (the money). If he can show proof, I accept it, this is easy to say.
“If someone gives me money, show me who gave it, I never received the money,” he said at a press conference after holding a meeting with tour boat operators at Tanjung Rhu Jetty on Monday (July 25).
On the other hand, he said the party claiming to have received the funds should come forward with evidence and not just talk nonsense.
Sinar Harian quoted the Langkawi MP who said he was ready to be investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding the issue.
“I’m ready, show me the proof I have (the money). Many accusations have been made against me that I’m rich with billions of ringgit saved in Switzerland and Taiwan,” he added.
On Monday, in the corruption trial of former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, former UKSB administration manager David Tan Siong Sun, 47, said Dr Mahathir, the Bersatu chairman at the time, received the donation for the party’s use through his nephew Tan Sri Rahmat Abu Bakar.
Tan said the code name “Kedahan” was used for Rahmat in UKSB’s ledger of the company’s monetary outflow.
He had also said similar payments were made to “ministers, politicians and government servants” and that he had kept a ledger of payments made between 2014 and 2018 in spreadsheet files on his laptop.
He had previously named several politicians, including former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, as among those who had received money directly or through proxies.
Ahmad Zahid, 69, faces 33 charges of accepting bribes amounting to SG$13.56mil from UKSB for himself as the then home minister to extend the company’s contract as a One Stop Centre (OSC) operator in China and for the Visa Overseas (VLN) system, as well as maintaining the contract agreement to supply the VLN integrated system.
On a further seven charges, Ahmad Zahid is charged with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million (S$932,230), 15,000 Swiss Francs (S$21,550) and US$15,000 (S$20,800) from UKSB that had official links to his official duty.
Ahmad Zahid is accused of committing all the offences in Sri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES