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PUTRAJAYA - Position of the case involving Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should not be made an issue on his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim insisted Ahmad Zahid had not been proven guilty by any court.
"He was charged with a number of offences but has not yet been proven and it needs to be respected," he said.
He said this to comment on the criticism of his leadership following the appointment of Ahmad Zahid as the second person in the Unity Government cabinet.
According to Anwar, Ahmad Zahid was appointed to the post because he was the President of Umno and the Chairman of BN who is also in the Unity Government.
"That's their right (to dispute), but who and for what reason," he said in a press conference after the first cabinet meeting on Monday.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali.
He said those who criticised the appointment should be clean and free from any wrongdoing.
"I am concerns, all these years of people yelling on corruption should be clean but they still took the project of hundred million.
"That's why I was willing to declare (assets) during the campaign and I wanted others including the Chairman of Perikatan Nasional (PN) to do the same to declare assets in Malaysia, Australia and some other countries, but there was no answer," he explained.
Ahmad Zahid, 69, faces 47 charges of 12 counts of breach of trust, eight counts of corruption and 27 counts of money laundering involving millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.
The trial resumes on January 16 next year.