KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has confirmed the freezing of his and his wife’s accounts by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).
In a statement today, Hamzah, who is also Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general, said that he believes the move is a result of “pressure and meddling” by high-level government officials.
“The freeze, which was later disseminated to the media, is a desperate attempt by the government under (prime minister) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership to pressure PN leaders, who have been gaining the people’s trust.
“It is the continuation of dirty tactics to create a bad perception of PN, especially after the people’s support shifted towards the coalition, which won 146 out of 245 seats (in the recent state elections),” Hamzah said.
Hamzah issued the statement following a report by Scoop yesterday quoted a senior Bersatu official as saying that the Inland Revenue Board had frozen the accounts of the party’s secretary-general and family members.
This came after Hamzah’s residence in Damansara was raided by IRB officers in June, with personnel seizing several documents.
Asserting that more politically motivated action will be taken against him and other PN leaders, Hamzah said that the “tyranny” of the Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional unity government will not deter his fight for the nation’s future.
He also drew parallels between the recent action against him and the court case faced by PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was recently acquitted of four charges of power abuse after a high court judge ruled that the charges were “vague, flawed, and unfounded.”
The freeze is believed to be a part of an ongoing investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into Hamzah, who was named in the charge sheet of a RM15 million corruption case involving businessman Datuk Seri Sim Choo Thiam.
On August 11, Hamzah issued a letter of demand to the unity government, the MACC, and its chief commissioner, Tan Sri Azm Baki, over allegations linking the politician to the corruption case.
In the letter, Hamzah demanded the parties immediately cease and desist from “acting in a partisan political manner”, as civil servants are “sworn protectors of the constitutional rights of the people” and must not violate them.
On May 10, Sim was formally charged with soliciting RM15 million in June 2021 from Hep Kim Hong, the managing director of Asia Coding Centre Sdn Bhd.
The amount was allegedly offered to secure Hamzah’s support in obtaining projects from the Home Ministry for Hep’s company. – August 24, 2023