Haziq has responded to show-cause letter, says ministry sec-gen

PUTRAJAYA: Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz has responded to a show-cause letter over the viral sex videos.

Primary Industries Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Tan Yew Chong said that the letter was delivered to the office of Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin, whom Haziq is the senior private secretary to.

"He has responded to the letter and it was sent to the Deputy Minister. I'm not sure when the letter was sent," he told reporters at the ministry's Hari Raya open house on Tuesday (June 18).

Tan said that Shamsul Iskandar was not present at the event because he was in Paris for an official function.

He also said that Haziq had not showed up for work since the video went viral.

Tan declined to comment when asked who could make the decision to dismiss Haziq.

"The Deputy Minister said he would decide on this in one or two days," he said.

On June 13, Shamsul Iskandar said Haziq had been suspended from his duties with immediate effect and had also been issued with a show-cause letter, and failure to respond within three days could result in his dismissal.

A news portal on Monday quoted Shamsul Iskandar as saying that his ministry would decide on Haziq's fate within "one or two days" and the ministry was assessing his response to the show-cause letter.

Haziq is said to have sent the response letter on June 14.

On Wednesday (June 12), Haziq admitted that he was the other individual seen in a sex video, which had been making its rounds on social media and WhatsApp.

He also claimed that the other person was Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, who is also Economic Affairs Minister.

Azmin, in denying his involvement in the sex video, had said people should not resort to cruel and filthy acts of political sabotage.