Khir to make announcement over future on Jan 9
Former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, who has been convicted and sentenced to 12 months’ jail for graft, said he will make an important announcement after Jan 9.
Former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, who has been convicted and sentenced to 12 months’ jail for graft, said he will make an important announcement after Jan 9.
Khir, 46, revealed this after the Shah Alam High Court found him guilty.
“I will make an important announcement on my political future on or after Jan 9,” he said.
Asked as to why he chose that date, Khir (
left in photo
), who was mobbed by reporters, did not give a reply.
Khir said he will appeal against the jail sentence, and his lawyer, M Athimulan, indicated that the notice of appeal will be filed this afternoon.
Khir has 14 days from today to file the appeal.
Jan 9 is the same day the Kuala Lumpur High Court is scheduled to deliver a verdict in opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial.
Khir was found guilty by Justice Mohtaruddin Baki of corruption for obtaining for himself and his wife Zahrah Kechik, two lots of land and a house at No 8 & 10, Jalan Suasa 7/1L, from Ditamas Sdn Bhd director Shamsuddin Hayroni, at RM3.5 million - a lower price than the RM6.5 million Ditamas paid for it in 2004.
The former Selangor MB allegedly entered into the transaction with the knowledge that Shamsuddin had dealings with him in his official capacity as the state’s chief executive at that time.
The Sungai Panjang assemblyperson allegedly committed the offence at the Selangor menteri besar’s official residence at Jalan Permata 7/1, Section 7, Shah Alam on May 29, 2007.
Khir’s candidacy brought into question
With the conviction and sentence, it brings into question Khir’s status to contest in defending the Sungai Panjang state.
This is because a conviction of no less than one year or RM2,000 fine or both would result in an elected representative losing his seat and bars him from standing in the impending 13th general election.
“This sentence will also affect my pension. Of course I will appeal,” he told reporters after he was convicted.
Khir described his case of buying “without consideration” as a first among Commonwealth countries.
“I accepted a price which was recommended by the valuers as the property was incomplete. Is this wrong, despite the company having paid more?” he asked.
“Furthermore, the contractor employed (to transform the property into a Balinese-type landscape) has a grudge against me and the court accepted his evidence,” he said.
Khir said he and his lawyers were taken aback by the prosecution’s application to seize the property.
He revealed he had taken a RM2 million loan to pay for the property, and asked who would bear the burden of paying it if the property is forfeited.
The Sungai Panjang assemblyperson said he will continue to fight to clear his name and hence the appeal.
“I have been made a political scapegoat from the start when I was charged,” he said, while his wife Zaharah Kechik agreed with the notion.
When contacted, Selangor state assembly speaker Teng Chang Khim said that Khir will be unable to contest in the next state elections if the Court of Appeal does not acquit Khir before the polls.
He explained that the condition of disqualification for a state assemblyperson under the Selangor constitution is the same as under the federal constitution, where a parliamentarian will be disqualified if convicted of an offence and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than RM2,000.
In Khir’s case, Teng said that Khir would be disqualified from being the Sungai Panjang assemblyperson from now, if no stay was granted by the High Court pending an appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Additional reporting by LEE LONG HUI.
