Muda sec-gen receives demand letter from Zahid

Muda secretary-general Ainie Haziqah has received a letter of demand from Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s lawyer, the party announced in a statement last night. 

According to the statement, Ainie (above) received the letter following her speech at the “Turun Anwar” rally last month, which criticised Zahid’s prior corruption charges. 

The party described the Umno president’s actions as “political intimidation to silence the youth and the rakyat”, who continue to demand accountability regarding Zahid’s discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) granted in September 2023.

“Muda would like to remind that, until today, the promise of reform to separate the powers of the prime minister and the attorney-general has not yet been fulfilled.

“Due to this delay, the rakyat continue to be suspicious of the independence and integrity of the decisions made by the prosecution,” the party said.

Muda said that it stands firm with Ainie and stressed that criticisms against Zahid’s DNAA is not an act of defamation or slander, but “a part of our political responsibility” to ensure that the rakyat receive an answer that they deserve.

“Muda will also not bow down to political bullies such as Zahid and will continue to ensure that the entirety of the rakyat’s voices, especially the youths, will not be silenced,” the statement read further.

The party also urged Malaysians to join them in the campaign by using the hashtags #DakwaSemulaZahid #ReformasiBukanRetorik.

Earlier today, the party launched their #DakwaSemulaZahid (Re-Indict Zahid) campaign, demanding that the Attorney-General’s Chambers reopen its case on Zahid’s corruption and abuse of power charges.

The party’s acting president, Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, said the campaign is important as people have the right to know the truth, and that Malaysians want to know “how people in government can get away with it”.

The campaign, she said, would involve a series of demonstrations, talks, and tours nationwide.

Strong case against Zahid

Former deputy law minister Hanipa Maidin also supported the campaign, arguing that Muda reserves the right to seek a re-indictment, especially since a prima facie case had already been established before Zahid received a DNAA in the Yayasan Akalbudi case.

In 2023, Zahid was granted the DNAA on 47 charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering involving Yayasan Akalbudi funds, despite having been called to enter his defence - a legal threshold that typically indicates strong prosecution evidence.

His charges involved 12 counts of criminal breach of trust, eight corruption charges, and 27 counts of money laundering.

The prosecution, led at the time by Dusuki Mokhtar, who is now the attorney-general, requested the DNAA, citing that his team needed time for a more comprehensive and complete investigation into Zahid’s case.

High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah made his displeasure known to the prosecution, adding that taxpayers’ money would be wasted if the prosecution later dropped Zahid’s case.

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