Zahid must break silence on gambling suspect’

By admin-s Last updated Jan 5, 2015

(FMT) – It’s not the done thing for a lawyer in private practice to spring to Zahid’s defence and start issuing statements on the issue.

The Opposition has called on Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to break his silence on his decision to not only give a supportive statement to the FBI on a Paul Phua Wei-seng, currently facing gambling charges in the United States, but also do so apparently without the advice of the Attorney General.

“He needs to shed some light on the ‘national security projects’ on which he claims that Phua has assisted the Home Ministry,” said Fahmi Fadzil, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Director of Communications.

“He didn’t say anything, in a contradiction in terms, when Interpol issued a red arrest warrant recently for Islamic scholar Yusuf Al-Qaradawi who has been honoured by the Malaysian Government as Tokoh Maal Hijrah.”

Fahmi noted that in a statement carried by Kwong Wah Yit Poh on Sunday, Zahid had claimed that the 14K Triad – a secret society — does not exist in Malaysia.

“The question is whether Phua is a member of 14K,” he pointed out. “If so, his letter on Phua would contradict a report by the police which is being used by the FBI in the case against the accused.”

Fahmi added it’s not the done thing for a lawyer in private practice, Shafee Abdullah, to spring to Zahid’s defence and start issuing statements on the letter which the Home Minister gave the FBI on Phua.

He noted however that Shafee, in defending Zahid’s action, did not deny that the Home Minster did issue such a letter as revealed in the South China Morning Post of Hong Kong recently.

“Even before the Home Minister could respond on the letter, Shafee entered the picture on Sunday,” said Fahmi. “Is it part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Ministers to issue such secret letters and be defended by such lawyers?”

“How many other such letters have been issued by him and other Ministers? All MPs want to know.”