My name has been cleared - Shahrir Samad
Shahrir (middle) was acquitted and freed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Thursday of the charge of failing to declare RM1 million received from Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the IRB.
"Today my name, Umno and Johor Bahru have been cleared not at our request but by the prosecution itself which didn't intend to continue the case," Shahrir said when met at the lobby of the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex on Thursday.
" I should be happy for this release, but I am sad because the case had given the impression to the people that I am an MP and Umno leader who was corrupt and without any integrity.
"I worked sincerely, I even informed the authorities why I took the money and why I asked for help from Najib," Shahrir said.
The High Court here on Thursday acquitted Shahrir of the charges of failing to declare RM1 million received from former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).
Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin decided this after hearing the application from the prosecution represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Rasyidah Murni Azmi and lawyer Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin who represented Shahrir.
The Umno leader was represented by lawyer Datuk Syed Faisal Al-Edros Syed Abdullah Al-Edros and Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad.
Shahrir who is also the former Felda chairman said he had asked a favour from Najib while he was an MP as it was his responsibility to aid the poor including building new homes for some of them
"In the previous proceedings, the 22nd prosecution witness, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Assistant Superintendent Nurzahidah Yacop confirmed that the prosecution against her was carried out without a thorough investigation," he said
" From the very beginning the charges against me were unreasonable." he stressed
