Malaysia gay-sex video: Six more clips released on WhatsApp group

Former Santubong PKR Youth chief Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz has claimed to be one of the men in the video. PHOTO: HAZIQ AZIZ/FACEBOOK

KUALA LUMPUR - A new wave of sex video clips allegedly involving Malaysian Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali and former Santubong PKR Youth chief Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz were released on the WhatsApp messaging platform in the wee hours of Thursday (Sept 5).

The six video clips, each about three minutes long, were distributed at 3.35am in a group called Video Terkini Azmin (Azmin's latest video) with more than 80 media organisation members and politicians. They appeared to be from the same video that has been sent in bits and pieces to reporters repeatedly over the past few months.

Several ministers of the Pakatan Harapan government, including Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub, were added to the WhatsApp group. Umno Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam was also added to the group.

On June 12, Mr Haziq admitted being one of the men in the video and also alleged that the other individual was Datuk Seri Azmin, claiming that the romp took place in a Sabah hotel room during the Sandakan by-election on May 11.

However, he denied any knowledge of the video being shot, asserting that it was taken without his consent.

Mr Azmin, who is also PKR deputy president, rubbished the allegations and described the video as a nefarious plot to ruin his political career.

While several quarters have raised the possibility that the video could be a deepfake, Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador in July said that Cybersecurity Malaysia has determined that the video is authentic but that facial recognition technology had failed to positively identify Mr Azmin as one of the two men featured in it.

IGP Hamid also said that the leader of a political party was the mastermind behind the campaign to tarnish the minister's reputation, leading to speculation that the release was linked to a feud between Mr Azmin and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

Datuk Seri Anwar has denied any involvement, but his political aide Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak was one of the people arrested in connection with the case.

On Thursday (Sept 5), he again denied being involved.

"I am not involved, I don't want to be involved," he told reporters.

Mr Lokman has claimed that Indonesian experts who analysed the video have confirmed that the duo were Mr Azmin and Haziq.

On Monday, police made a statement that they had received a report from Birmingham-based Verden Forensics on the sex video after it was submitted to the audio-visual forensics firm by Mr Lokman.

The report is being assessed by Cybersecurity Malaysia, while investigation papers have been forwarded to the Attorney-General's Chambers for further action, Malaysiakini reported.

The case is being investigated under the Penal Code's Section 377B - which deals with carnal intercourse against the order of nature - and Section 292 dealing with the dissemination of obscene material.

It is also being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which pertains to the improper use of a network service or application, according to Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Huzir Mohamed.

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