Cases can also be 'erased', Wan Saiful tells Puad

Summary

• Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan cites personal experience in claiming that cases can not only be found but also erased.

• He says Puad Zarkashi's warning to Rafizi Ramli further reinforces perceptions that the government uses enforcement agencies as a political tool.

Cases can not only be found but also erased, Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan said, basing it on his personal experience of the latter.

"That was the offer given to me when I was persuaded to jump parties last year," he said in a statement today.

Wan Saiful (above) was referring to his allegations that Umno MPs Azizi Abu Naim and Zulkafperi Hanapi attempted to get him to support Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim through inducements and threats.

Among the inducements were claims that they could make his criminal charges go away, as he is on trial for 18 charges of money laundering and two charges of corruption, in relation to the Jana Wibawa project.

Wan Saiful's statement was also in response to Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi, who previously warned PKR's Rafizi Ramli of possible legal implications for criticising the government.

Wan Saiful said Puad's warning reinforces the perception that the government wields enforcement agencies to further its political agenda.

"One by one, the damage to institutions done by the Pakatan Harapan-BN government has been exposed," he said.

Bold Rafizi

Rafizi had responded to Puad by reminding the latter that the only time he was charged was during the BN federal administration.

Rafizi previously questioned whether the government’s move to revise the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) is a hasty reaction to social media criticism directed at Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

The Pandan MP, who vacated his cabinet post following his defeat at the PKR polls, is believed to be referring to reactions from netizens over an X post featuring a clip of Fahmi asserting that the 13MP is a “team effort” and not the product of any one individual or ministry.

Fahmi, who is also the PKR information chief, had courted backlash over his remark, with several users highlighting that while the plan involved various other ministries, the Economy Ministry under Rafizi’s leadership had pioneered the drafting of the document.

Rafizi had also recently launched his podcast “Yang Berhenti Menteri” (the one who quit as minister), which he promised will see him “burn” and “enlighten”, now that he is no longer bound by government ethics and confidentiality.

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