Relieve Zahid from his duties, Faizal Azumu urges

KUALA LUMPUR - Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) urges for Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to be relieved from his duties to ensure that the latter’s trial case will not be interrupted.

Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the action was to ensure the trial in connection with 47 charges of corruption, breach of trust and money laundering of proceed without delay and disruption.

"This is following Zahid’s application to permanently return his passport, which was previously submitted as bail conditions for the ongoing trial.

"In his application, Zahid claimed he was given a mandate by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to represent him in several national administration matters on top of having the document will facilitate a smoother process for him to complete his duties.

"As a DPM, it required him to travel internally and overseas,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

Faizal claimed although the judge had the absolute authority to return the passport, Zahid’s duties in the government administration could affect the judiciary’s authority to guarantee an efficient and smooth trial with no delay.

"It is an insult to the majority of the voters in the 15th General Election (GE15), who expected a clean and transparent government with integrity,” he commented.

Faizal said the best approach to deal with the issue was to relieve Zahid from his position as DPM to focus on the court trial process.

"This is to guarantee an independent and fair national judicial system and to ensure a transparent trial without any interference or delay,” he said.