'Bribery in Kedah': MACC ticks off Anwar

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today came under fire from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for stating that there is evidence of BN attempting to bribe Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons in Kedah with the aim of toppling the state government.

MACC chief commissioner Ahmad Said Hamdan said Anwar's statement would have an adverse effect on investigations into the case.

"The Kulim case is being investigated and is not completed and Anwar's statement will affect investigation," he said.

He added that the commission started investigating the matter following a report lodged by PKR's Kulim assemblyperson Lim Soo Nee.

"MACC is conducting an investigation into the case, however, there are differences in facts that he (Lim) himself presented," the MACC chief told reporters in Penang.

Ahmad Said also denied Anwar's claim that the MACC officer probing the case was replaced.

'Secret meetings with Najib'

Yesterday, Anwar told Parliament that Lim was allegedly contacted by a BN agent representing former Kedah menteri besar Mahadzir Khalid a month after the March 8 election.

The agent had allegedly attempted to persuade Lim to defect from Pakatan to BN for RM4 million before it was raised to RM5 million

"Secret meetings were also planned between Lim and Mahadzir together with the Deputy Prime Minister (Najib Abdul Razak)," Anwar alleged further.

He also claimed that each and every meeting was monitored by officers from the anti-corruption body.

The highlight, he said, was a meeting between Mahadzir and Lim at hotel in Seberang Jaya, Penang, at the end of last year.

Mahadzir: No such offers

Contacted today, Mahadzir denied making any monetary offers but conceded meeting Lim for a cup of coffee.

The Kedah BN chief refuted Anwar's claim that Najib was involved in the meeting.

Saying he could not remember where the meeting took place, the former menteri besar said he also met with other assemblypersons from PAS and PKR "to chit chat and have a cup of coffee."

"But there was no meeting involving Najib. I don't know about anybody else (holding such meetings)," he said.

However, Lim told Malaysiakini that what Anwar said was true but declined to comment further on his meetings with Mahadzir.

When asked, he also could not recall the dates or the number of times he had met the former menteri besar.

The Kulim assemblyperson was also in the dark about the progress of the MACC investigations into the matter as he has not been contacted by the watchdog.