Azalina mengaku terima RM300,000

Bekas Menteri Pelancongan dan Menteri Belia dan Sukan dari UMNO, Azalina Othman hari ini mengaku bahawa beliau telah menerima RM300,000 dari Ahli Perniagaan Johor, Yahya Abdul Jalil.


Bagaimanapun beliau menafikan RM300,000 itu adalah rasuah.

Menurut Pegawai Medianya Zulkifli Mat Rawi, cek bernilai RM300,000 yang diterima dari Advance Maintenance Precision Management Sdn Bhd dan Pengarah Urusan Gerbang Perdana itu adalah hasi jualan sebuah kereta klasik milik Azalina.

Tambah Zulkifli lagi “Dua tahun lalu ketika Azalina masih merupakan seorang Menteri Kabinet, beliau telah membeli sebuah kereta klasik iaitu Mercedes Benz 280SL (1969), Itu adalah hobinya.

Kemudian apabila beliau menyedari bahawa untuk menyelenggara kenderaan sedemikian ianya memerlukan belanja yang tinggi dia telah menghentikan hobinya itu lalu mengiklankan kereta tersebut untuk dijual kepada pembeli yang berpotensi.

Bulan March tahun lalu, Yahya telah menghubungi Azalina dan kereta tersebut telah dijual kepada Yahya”.

Zulkifli bercakap bagi pihak Azalina yang merupakan Ahli Parlimen P157 Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia. Beliau pernah menjadi Menteri Pelancongan dari March 2008 hingga April 2009 dan Menteri Belia dan Sukan pula dari March 2004 hingga March 2008.

Mercedes Benz 280SL (1969)

Hmmm.. Pemimpin UMNO beli kereta RM300,000 hanya kerana HOBI, kita rakyat marhaen pula beli kereta kerana ianya keperluan.. Pencacai UMNO pun beli pasal hobi kot?

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Azalina admits receiving RM300,000

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Cabinet minister Azalina Othman Said today admitted to receiving money from a Johor businessman but denied speculations that it was for corrupt purposes.

Rather, the RM300,000 cheque that Azalina received from Advance Maintenance Precision Management Sdn Bhd and Gerbang Perdana managing director Yahya Abd Jalil was for the sale of a classic car, according to her media officer Zulkifli Mat Rawi.

“Two years ago, when she was minister, she bought a classic Mercedes Benz 280SL (1969 ). It was her hobby. But then she realised that maintaning such cars was quite expensive so she stopped this hobby and put out advertisements to potential buyers. In March last year, Yahya contacted her, and she sold it to him,” Zulkifli told FMT.

Zulkifli was speaking on behalf of Azalina, who is Umno MP for Pengerang. She was Tourism Minister from March 2008 until April 2009 and was also Youth and Sports Minister from March 2004 until March 2008.

Yahya is said to be a committee member of Umno Pasir Gudang.

“We refused to give any media statement earlier because we did not want to disrupt the MACC investigations. But now that MACC has taken her statement, we want to clear the air as we have no intention of hiding anything,” Zulkifli said.

Yesterday, Azalina gave her statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at its headquarters in Putrajaya to assist investigations.

Zulkifli said she had supplied all the necessary documents to prove that Yahya purchased the vehicle from her.

“There is no corruption. To say it is conflict of interest is wrong. No such thing. Plus, she was not a minister then, and had no capability to offer any projects. Secondly, she is not an Umno national leader and has no other position other than Pengerang Umno head. She has, and had, nothing to offer the businessman,” Zulkifli said.

He added that MACC officers told Azalina that there was no case against her and nobody has lodged any reports against her.

“She was not called in as a suspect. They also did not ask for her for a second interview. There is no case. She was merely assisting investigations into earlier allegations,” he said.

“However, she says she is ready to offer herself to give further cooperation to the MACC. No problem,” he said.

Political contributions

Last week, the allegation first surfaced when anonymous blogger TheWhistleblower711 alleged that Azalina received RM300,000 from Yahya. The blogger published a photograph of what appeared to be a cheque amounting to RM300,000, dated April 7, 2011, addressed to Azalina.

However, the blogger did not say or explain how it amounted to bribery and had asked Azalina to explain it herself.

On Dec 18, FMT first reported The Whistleblower711′s allegations of covert dealings implicating, and naming, Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussin, and two aides working under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin respectively.

The blogger claimed to have top-level informants and had alleged that the three government officials had received kickbacks and were “bought” by the same businessman, Yahya, for the purpose of obtaining contracts from the federal government and its agencies.

The bribes were allegedly made in relation to a contract to provide service to Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and Johor Bahru Sentral in Johor by the Public Works Department, a contract Yahya’s companies allegedly won.

MACC later confirmed that it was investigating allegations of corruption against Awang Adek and Yahya.

Proof of these contributions was published in the blog in the form of scans of several cash deposit slips, together with the serial numbers.

These were alleged to be the personal accounts of the government officials.

On Dec 21, Awang Adek admitted to receiving “political contributions” to his personal account as alleged but denied that it amounted to corruption. He said the contributions were used for social programmes in Bachok, where he is the Umno division chief.

While Najib has yet to speak about the matter, on Dec 27, Muhyiddin said that he would look into the allegations that his senior private secretary Mohd Shukor Abdul Manan received more than RM100,000 in kickbacks. He claimed to be unaware of any wrongdoings.

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