Malaysian gay sex video saga: A timeline of events

Mr Muhammad Haziq Abdul Aziz has confessed that it was him and a Cabinet minister in the video that has gone viral. PHOTO: HAZIQ AZIZ/FACEBOOK

KUALA LUMPUR - Video clips allegedly showing a Cabinet minister engaging in sexual acts with another man continue to rock Malaysia since they first surfaced on June 11. Here is a timeline of what's happened since.

July 23

- Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in a personal blog post that the gay sex video was circulated for political purposes and he will not take action against Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali.

July 21

- Datuk Seri Azmin pledged his loyalty to Tun Dr Mahathir and warned those plotting to bring him down that his loyalty has its limits.
- Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said at a PKR three-day retreat in Port Dickson that he was prepared to work with Mr Azmin. Mr Azmin did not attend the party retreat.

July 20

- Parti Keadilan Rakyat accepts the statement by Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador that Mr Azmin is not involved in the recent sex video scandal. Police investigations are still ongoing.

July 19

- Malaysian police arrest another two suspects in the township of Shah Alam in Selangor. There were no further details on the arrests, including the suspects' identities.

July 18

- National police chief Abdul Hamid ascertains gay sex video to be authentic, but cannot determine the identities of the two men in the clips. This verification was conducted by Cybersecurity Malaysia.

July 17

- Mr Farhash Mubarak, political secretary to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, and one of the other suspects are remanded until July 20.

July 16

- Three more suspects, including Mr Farhash, are arrested in Johor.

July 14

- Six people, including Mr Haziq Aziz, a former youth leader in the ruling Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), are detained. They are in remand until July 20.

July 3

- Mr Haziq is expelled from PKR.

June 28

- Malaysian's anti-graft agency clears Mr Azmin of any wrongdoing over allegations of illegal fund transfers.

June 20

- Mr Haziq is hit with a show cause letter by the PKR disciplinary board.

- Mr Haziq is sacked from his post at the Ministry of Primary Industries.

June 14

- Malaysian police detain Mr Haziq at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to aid investigations. He is released on police bail the following day.

June 13

- Mr Haziq is suspended from his duties as principal private secretary to the Deputy Minister of Primary Industries.

June 12

- Mr Haziq confesses that he was one of the men featured in the video clips. He claims that the other man in the video is Mr Azmin Ali.

- Mr Azmin denies that he is in the video and says it is a plot to destroy his political career.

- PKR issues a statement rejecting gutter politics and calls for an immediate end to the spread of the video clips.

June 11

- Video clips of two men engaging in sexual acts are spread via the WhatsApp messaging app. One of the men is said to resemble a Cabinet minister.

- Some of the clips include images of purported fund transfers to the minister.

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