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KUALA LUMPUR – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has distanced himself from Rumah Bonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali following speculation that the latter is being offered protection.
In a Facebook post, the former deputy prime minister said he regretted allegations by certain quarters linking him to Siti Bainun, who is accused of abusing a 13-year-old teenager known only as Bella who is living with Down’s syndrome.
They included claims that he is protecting the accused by offering her 10 defence counsels.
“I admit that I have helped many individuals throughout my involvement in politics, including those seeking assistance and donations.
“However, I will never protect anybody if they are involved in a crime,” he said today.
Zahid said the allegations that he is also attempting to influence the court in the ongoing trial made no sense, as even the prosecution knows that he has no such power.
“I am not in the government to pressure the prosecution, as was done by a government of 22 months before. If it’s true that I have such an ability, wouldn’t it be better for me to protect my own case?”
Recently, several social media users have associated Zahid to Siti Bainun after a picture of them together, with Zahid’s family, was circulated online.
Some have also alleged that Siti Bainun is the adopted daughter of the Umno president, which his daughter Nurul Hidayah Ahmad Zahid has rubbished through an Instagram posting last night.
Siti Bainun has also been linked to Umno after serving as the party’s Ampang division’s deputy Puteri chief from 2016 to 2021, and was accorded the Puteri Umno special award from former party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2016.
Zahid said it is irresponsible to link him to Siti Bainun merely based on one photograph. He stressed that it would be unbecoming of a leader like him to reject a request to have a photo taken together.
“If, say, today I commend a person for his good deeds on my social media, and after some time the person is accused of a crime, will I be associated (with him) for praising him in the past?” he said.
“Don’t be too fast to pass judgments and make conclusions based on what you read and see. Let the courts determine the truth through a fair trial process.”
Zahid urged all quarters to cease with the politics of slander and hate ahead of the upcoming general election, warning that the rakyat will eventually be the victims.
Siti Bainun, 30, pleaded not guilty on two counts of abandonment and abusing Bella, resulting in the victim sustaining physical and emotional injuries in a condominium in Wangsa Maju here, between February and June 2021.
She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment or a RM50,000 fine or both.
The trial continues at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court this Wednesday. – The Vibes, April 17, 2022
