Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas is not the Umno disciplinary board chairperson and therefore his statement on Umno man Saifuddin Abdullah has no standing, said Umno legal adviser Mohd Hafarizam Harun.

Megat Najmuddin ( photo ) had said it was fine for Saifuddin, a former deputy minister, to attend the meeting to form Pakatan Harapan this month.

Saifuddin was issued a showcause letter from the party for attending the opposition pact meeting.

"I wish to correct, Megat is not the Umno disciplinary board chairperson.

"The disciplinary board chairperson is Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen (Tengku Ismail), still.

"And he's overseas, so whatever statement made by Megat must remain personal and to him only and not on behalf of the disciplinary board," he told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

Hafarizam was referring to a report by The Malaysian Insider on the matter, quoting Megat Najmuddin as Umno disciplinary board chairperson.

"I must say that it is a personal view of Megat [...] He is just a member of the disciplinary board," added Hafarizam.

Saifuddin has until Oct 6 to respond

Megat Najmuddin today was reported as saying that it was normal to attend such events unless Saifuddin had actively condemned Umno.

Saifuddin ( photo ), on the other hand, has until Oct 6 to respond to the showcause letter.

The letter dated Sept 22 was delivered by hand to the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) office on the morning of Sept 28.

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had said that Saifuddin was wrong to attend the event even in the capacity of an NGO leader.

Meanwhile, Hafarizam said he would not comment on Saifuddin being issued the showcause letter.

"He has 14 days to reply, and Tengku Adnan said he might refer this to the disciplinary board, so we wait," he said.

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