Muhyiddin denies Mahathir’s claims over stolen party funds

PETALING JAYA – Bersatu Malaysia president Muhyiddin Yassin has denied former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s claims that he had stolen party funds and kept the money at home.

Muhyiddin, who is also the chairman of the Perikatan Nasional coalition, said the allegation was based solely on speculation and false information provided by irresponsible parties.

“I firmly deny the allegation made by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in a viral video that I had stolen party funds and kept them in my house. This is a baseless accusation made purely on speculation,” he said in a statement on Dec 13.

He added: “I have never stolen party funds. All contributions to the party are deposited into the party’s accounts, which are managed transparently by the treasurer-general.”

He added that Dr Mahathir’s allegations were likely made because he had received inaccurate information from irresponsible parties.

“As a statesman, he should have sought clarification from me first before making any accusation against me. In our many meetings, he had never raised this matter with me directly,” he said.

“Therefore, it is my responsibility to clarify this issue to prevent slander against me.”

However, he said he does not intend to take any legal action against the former prime minister.

Muhyiddin, also a former prime minister, said: “Nevertheless, I continue to respect Tun Mahathir as an elder. I have personally supported his efforts to foster Malay unity, and our relationship has been close.

“For that reason, I do not intend to take legal action against him.”

On Dec 12, Johor Bersatu Youth reportedly claimed that a video clip recorded during its recent meeting with Dr Mahathir was manipulated by certain irresponsible parties.

This came after a two-minute video of the meeting, in which Dr Mahathir purportedly accused Muhyiddin of stealing party funds, went viral on social media. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK