Syed Saddiq rubbishes allegations he was at Puchong 'private party'

PETALING JAYA: Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (pic) has denied allegations that he was present at a "private drug party" in Puchong recently.

The Youth and Sports Minister said he was informed on Jan 20 regarding fake news claiming he was present at the drug party, but had left earlier before the raid by police.

Syed Saddiq added that the content in a report published by the Johor Press dated Jan 17 was false and had damaged his reputation as a minister.

"The information is false and has been viralled by third parties such as Mynewshub," he said in a statement on Monday (Jan 20).

It was reported that Dengkil assemblyman Adhif Syan Abdullah and four political special officers were among 17 people arrested following a raid on a premise in Puchong on Jan 13.

Adhif has since denied that he was arrested after testing positive for drugs, reported Sinar Harian.

Syed Saddiq also stressed that the content of the report was wrong, including allegations that there were "attempts to lobby for big projects from the Youth and Sports Ministry", which have affected its image.

"Since I took over the ministry, I would like to stress that our achievements in the Public Service Corruption Ranking (PSCR) released by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has improved tremendously.

"The Youth and Sports Ministry has successfully improved its PSCR ranking from among the eight highest risk for corruption (out of 25) to the 16th spot of the least risk of corruption and wrongdoings.

"We will lodge a police report and will take legal action against any parties who spread the fake news especially involving the integrity of the Youth and Sports Ministry," he said.

It is believed that six women were also among those arrested.

It is learnt that police had initially gone to the location after receiving complaints from members of the public of loud noises coming from the building early Sunday (Jan 12).

Sources said the people at the location were having a private party and police also believed drug consumption and illegal gambling were among the activities.