No need to hide my face, cuffs: Ex-Dewan Negara deputy president

Summary

• Taking a defiant stance, former Dewan Negara deputy president Ali Mohamad says the authorities need not cover the handcuffs that bind his hands nor hide his face.

• This comes after he was nabbed by the MACC over a corruption allegation.

• As he has chosen to fight the allegations, Ali says he will be facing challenges in the near future.

Former Dewan Negara deputy president Ali Mohamad has remained defiant despite being nabbed by the MACC over an alleged bribery case.

Taking to social media, he said there was no need for the authorities to hide the handcuffs placed on his hands nor hide his face from the cameras.

“Last year, I was remanded by the police and now, by the MACC.

“I don’t need a jacket to hide the cuffs that bind my hands and I don’t need a face cover either,” said the Bersatu deputy information chief.

Yesterday, MACC detained Ali to facilitate investigations into an alleged graft case.

According to his lawyer Rafique Rashid Ali, the former Malacca assemblyperson was detained at 6.30pm when anti-graft officers raided his house in Tangga Batu.

MACC also recorded statements from the politician's wife and children at their office in Malacca, before they were released at about 9pm last night.

"So far, we were only informed that he was detained under Section 16 of the MACC Act over an alleged bribery case.

"We are yet to get full details on what the allegation is. We are expecting the investigating officer to provide this soon," Rafique said.

The court granted MACC a six-day remand against the Bersatu leader.

It is unclear how Ali made the social media post despite being held under remand.

Ali previously served as Malacca Umno deputy chief and Tangga Batu Umno division chief before leaving the party for Bersatu.

He served as Dewan Negara deputy president between December 2020 and May 2023.

‘Don’t cry for me’

Ali also urged his friends to not despair over his arrest.

“If I had been fearful, I would have just ‘relented’ but I chose to fight.

“And in any fight, there will be challenges which I must endure but the people these days are wiser… they see what’s happening.

“If they have power in the world, remember God is the ruler of all creation. May Allah’s blessings be upon us all. This is not the end but merely the beginning,” he added.

Yesterday, Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz appeared to be distancing himself from his deputy’s latest scandal.

He explained that the MACC’s allegations relate to the awarding of concessions between 2021 and 2023, during which time Ali was Tangga Batu Umno division chief and deputy president of the Senate.

Bersatu leader accused of Umno-era corruption, Tun Faisal clarifies

MACC nabs ex-Dewan Negara deputy president, now Bersatu leader