KUALA LUMPUR - Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan, who is in the running for the Deputy Speaker post in Parliament, has been cleared of money laundering by Malaysia's High Court.
Datuk Seri Ahmad was cleared of money laundering and providing a false statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over RM2 million he received from former premier Najib Razak in 2013, after he paid a RM1.1 million (S$357,000) compound, national news agency Bernama reported on Wednesday (Sept 29).
After the payment, the prosecution withdrew the two charges, it said.
"The court hereby orders that the accused be acquitted and discharged of the first and second charge. All dates that have been fixed to hear the case have been vacated," Bernama quoted Judge Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh as saying.
Law firm Messrs Shahrul Hamidi & Haziq, which is representing Mr Ahmad, said in a statement: "This settlement process took almost a year before it was accepted and recorded in court today. This settlement is not Ahmad's guilty plea to all charges against him.
"It was done in accordance with the law and has gone through a transparent and orderly process. This (settlement) is solely for the purpose of this case and has nothing to do with any political factors."
MACC said in a separate statement that the compound payment was "punitive action" against any individual charged with a money laundering offence and "a form of asset recovery" under the related laws.
Mr Ahmad, 55, had previously claimed trial to charges of failing to declare the sum he received from Najib to the Inland Revenue Board, allegedly violating Section 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967 by not stating his real income in the return form for 2013.
The money was said to be proceeds from illegal activities and was given through a cheque from AmIslamic Bank dated Nov 27, 2013, that he personally cashed on the same day.
The Pontian MP was also accused of giving false statements when questioned by investigating officer Mohd Zairi Zainal on July 4, 2019.
He has been referred to as part of the "court cluster" - a group of Umno lawmakers who were charged with graft during the Pakatan Harapan administration, which came into power after defeating the Umno-led Barisan Nasional alliance at the May 2018 election.
These MPs include Najib, who is appealing against a 12-year prison sentence for graft related to a former 1Malaysia Development Berhad subsidiary, and Umno chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who faces dozens of corruption charges.
The post of Deputy Speaker was left vacant after another Umno lawmaker, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, resigned last month.
Mr Ahmad's nomination has drawn flak from opposition lawmakers, with Batu Gajah MP V. Sivakumar demanding that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob explain his government's choice for the post.
