JOHOR BAHRU - Johor Bahru Umno division chief Tan Sri Shahrir Samad confirms that he will not contest in the 15th General Election (GE15).
However, he said he would still lead the Barisan Nasional (BN) election machinery.
He said the decision not to contest was because he wanted to defend his integrity and clear his name in court.
He said there were still those who had asked him whether he will be contesting as a BN candidate in GE15.
"I have stated multiple times that I will not be contesting but I will remain leading the BN election machinery to bring victory for the GE15 candidates. The reasons are simple, I am defending my integrity and my name in court.
"It is not fair for me to ask the JB (Johor Bahru) voters to clear my name.
"I have to clear my own name first through the court process. That is the reason, but I'm still with BN," he said in a statement on Facebook on Wednesday.
Previously, the former Felda chairman was charged with failing to declare RM1 million he received from former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).
The charge under Section 4 (1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 carries a fine of not more than RM5 million or a maximum five-year imprisonment or both, if found guilty.
The trial was ongoing at the Kuala Lumpur High Court since July 26.