Umno minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob has denied a Sabah daily report that he said not believing Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is like not believing in Allah.

He said this in response to a Daily Express article headlined 'Don’t believe in Najib means don’t believe in Allah', on the oath PM Najib took on murdered Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu.

"That’s not true. [...] In my speech I said Najib had taken an oath in a mosque, by saying 'Wallahi, Wabillahi, Wattalahi' (with Allah as my witness).

"As a Muslim, we should believe him with his oath (sic) ," he told Malaysiakini in a text message.

The Daily Express news clipping is making rounds on social media, with many criticising Ismail as being an apple polisher.

Najib had on a pre-recorded interview with TV3 Thursday said he had in 2008 took a religious oath (sumpah laknat) that he does not know Altantuya.

He vehemently denied any involvement in the 2006 murder, which saw Altantuya’s body blown up with military-grade explosives.

Police commandos assigned as Najib’s bodyguards were convicted for the murder while his associate Abdul Razak Baginda acquitted for abetment.

'Jokowi has bigger jet'

Najib was forced to record the interview following scathing blog postings against him by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir continues to attack Najib in a series of video clips released online today.

Ismail was quoted by the bi-lingual Daily Express as saying: "Najib read an oath, ‘Wallahi, Wabillahi, Wattalahi’ three times, including at a mosque.

"Muslims should believe the statement he made in the oath because if not, it means we don’t believe in Allah."

He was also quoted as defending the new jet purchased for VVIP use, in the speech made in Kota Kinabalu.

"This is normal. When Indonesian President Joko Widodo came to Malaysia, his jet was even bigger," he reportedly said.

Ismail said when Jokowi was first elected he tried to show he is a people’s president by travelling on commercial flights, but now even Jokowi travels in government jets.

"You can’t expect our PM to fly commercial, we can’t ensure the safety," he was quoted as saying.