KUALA LUMPUR – Former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has vehemently denied any direct connection with MYAirline, amidst speculations and accusations linking him to the airline’s recent financial troubles.
On his Facebook page, Muhyiddin indicated that he was not involved in the formation or approval of permits for the budget carrier, or had ties with any of its stakeholders.
“I found out that there are parties trying to associate me with the trouble involving MYAirline,” the Perikatan Nasional chairman said.
“I would like to emphasise that I have no direct connection with this airline or any of the company’s shareholders. I also do not have any knowledge about the background of this company.”
MYAirline has been facing scrutiny in recent days due to financial and operational difficulties, leading to questions about its ownership and management.
Muhyiddin clarified that his term as prime minister concluded before the airline received conditional approval for its air service licence on December 22, 2021.
“The involvement of the law firm Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership (RDS) as a lawyer on behalf of MYAirline company shareholders cannot be attributed to me. RDS, as a law firm, has the right to represent anyone who needs its legal services,” he added.
Muhyiddin expressed concern that these allegations were part of a concerted effort to tarnish his reputation.
“I believe there are certain parties who are trying to tarnish my good name by making malicious accusations that I am involved with this company. Stop this dirty cheap politics.”
Earlier today, police said a “datuk” who is the co-founder and the biggest shareholder of a local airline has been remanded for four days, along with his wife and son.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the 57-year-old man, 55-year-old wife and 26-year-old son were brought to the Jinjang centralised lockup for the remand application.
The three have been detained to facilitate investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001. The remand for all three individuals was granted for four days.
Earlier, a low-cost carrier, MYAirline had announced a sudden suspension of their operations on October 12 till further notice. The sudden suspension has affected thousands of passengers, and drew criticism from the public.
In a statement then, its board of directors informed the decision behind the suspension was due financial pressure which required operations to be halted.
On Monday, MYAirline interim accountable executive Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said the carrier did not have a contingency plan to provide refunds to some 125,000 passengers affected by its sudden shutdown while awaiting funding from new investors to kick in.
He also said that the airline would require around RM20 to 22 million just to refund customers after the recent fiasco that affected its passengers and some 900 staffers locally. – October 18, 2023