Malaysia's gay sex video authentic but identities of men undetermined, says national police chief

However, national police chief Abdul Hamid Bador said the agency could not determine the identities of the two men in the video who were recorded engaging in sexual acts. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

KUALA LUMPUR - A gay sex video implicating a Malaysian minister has been ascertained to be authentic, said national police chief Abdul Hamid Bador, although it cannot determine the identities of the two men in the clips.

He disclosed that Cybersecurity Malaysia conducted the verification after the police provided the government agency with the video.

"It found that the probability that the video is authentic is high," he said in a statement on Thursday (July 18).

"(However), the result of the facial recognition test came back negative and was unable to link the person in the video with the alleged individual."

Previously, Mr Abdul Hamid had said that police are exploring all angles in the investigation.

"Due to the complexity of the case, we are thoroughly investigating it. We cannot rush the investigation. Allow us to properly investigate the matter," he had said.

On Thursday, Mr Abdul Hamid said police investigation into the matter showed the existence of an evil conspiracy masterminded by a leader of a political party aimed at shaming and sullying the reputation of a particular individual.

"The video was spread with the aim of sowing societal discord, and was produced by a party who was paid hundreds of thousands of ringgit," he added.

Former political aide Haziq Aziz last month confessed to being one of the two men performing sexual acts in the video, and had claimed the other man was Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali.

Datuk Seri Azmin has denied this claim and said it was a plot to destroy his political career.

The police have arrested nine people in connection with the case, including Haziq and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Anwar Ibrahim's political secretary Farhash Mubarak.

Datuk Seri Anwar has denied involvement, saying insinuations about a higher-up being the mastermind behind the clips are "baseless".

The video has also sparked a furore within rival factions of PKR with leaders aligned to Mr Azmin chastising Mr Anwar for not supporting his former protege.

Meanwhile, Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam claimed video forensic experts from Indonesia will be able to verify the identities of the two men in the video.

"I am expecting the analysis report from the video forensic experts from Indonesia this evening," Malay Mail quoted him as saying.

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