Umno: DPM was victim of political prosecution

Couldn’t be happier: Ahmad Zahid speaking to the media flanked by his lawyers and fellow Umno figures at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

PETALING JAYA: The High Court’s decision to grant a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) against Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has vindicated the Deputy Prime Minister of the “politically-motivated” charges he faced, says Umno.

Party secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said from the beginning of the ordeal, Umno believed that Ahmad Zahid had been a victim of political prosecution.

“It began when (Tun) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) was elected for a second time as the seventh prime minister after the 14th General Election.

“Dr Mahathir, who was the Bersatu chairman at that time, publicly admitted to threatening Ahmad Zahid to dissolve Umno in a video he uploaded himself in 2018.

“The prosecution continued even after Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed the eighth prime minister in 2020.

“Thankfully, with this decision, it has become obvious that the previous leadership under Dr Mahathir and Bersatu had misused the legal institution to persecute Umno leaders for their own self-interest,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page yesterday.

He also reaffirmed Umno’s commitment to support the unity government’s stand in ensuring that the use of government institutions for political agendas were not repeated.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the judiciary must not be used as a political tool.

“The judiciary has always been the backbone of a just and orderly system; it needs to be defended.

“Perak Umno is of the opinion that the unity government needs to set an example by giving complete independence to legal institutions to uphold justice so that any form of political prosecution will not recur,” Saarani said in a statement yesterday.

Kelantan Umno chairman Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub said the court’s decision had united the state’s Umno members.

“The decision has exposed the agenda of a certain faction who deliberately made up political charges against the leadership of Umno.

“State Umno members are convinced that truth will always prevail over falsehood,” he said in a statement.

Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming said he had been consistent with his position to respect the outcome of any court decision.

Nga said he respected the decision to grant a DNAA for Ahmad Zahid, similar to the recent decision to acquit Muhyiddin on four of his corruption charges.

“It is now proven that the country’s judiciary is operating independently with the absence of government intervention,” Sin Chew Daily quoted him as saying.