TAX EXEMPTION FOR AL-BUKHARY FOUNDATION REVOKED DURING MUHYIDDIN TENURE AS PM- LAWYER

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Bernama) -- The High Court here was today told that the tax exemption granted to Yayasan Al-Bukhary was revoked during Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure as Prime Minister.

Lawyer Guok Ngek Seong,  representing Lim Guan Eng, when referring to a letter signed by Yayasan Al-Bukhary chairman Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary on Feb 5, 2021, said the words “baru-baru ini” in the letter can only mean that the revocation or cancellation of the tax-exemption status happened “recently”. 

He said this in the opening statement during the first-day trial of the suit filed by Lim against Muhyiddin for allegedly issuing defamatory statements over the cancellation of the tax exemption on Yayasan Albukhary.

“Before the defendant (Muhyiddin) published the three defamatory statements, he knew the actual contents of the letter issued by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar,” he said.

The hearing was before Judicial Commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain. 

Guok also told the court that the letter by Syed Mokhtar did not even mention Lim or the Pakatan Harapan Government as being responsible for revoking the tax exemption.

“In any event, there was not a single iota of evidence or documents which can prove that the plaintiff was the person who caused the tax exemption granted to Yayasan Al-Bukhary to be revoked.

“In fact, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made a statement on March 21, 2023, in Parliament debunking and exposing the falsity of the defendant’s defamatory statements. Anwar informed the Parliament that the plaintiff had never revoked the status of the tax exemption given to Yayasan Al-Bukhary,” said the lawyer.

Meanwhile, Guok said the evidence that will be led in court will show clearly that the defence filed by the defendant is all lies, baseless and unsupported.

He said Muhyiddin's defence are sham defence.

“As the defendant knew or ought to have known of the contents of the letter issued by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar to the defendant, the only explanation why the defendant continued to issue such blatant defamatory statements by attacking the plaintiff was for his political survival.

“This was crucial for the defendant as he was then facing the possibility of being charged in the criminal court," he added.

Lim is scheduled to testify this afternoon.

Lim filed the suit on March 27 last year, claiming that Muhyiddin had issued three defamatory statements on Facebook involving the latter over the tax exemption issue on March 9, 11 and 12.

Reports on the matter were then published by several newspapers and news portals.

The former Penang chief minister also claimed that the slanderous statements also inferred that he had abused his position and power by authorising or ordering the IRB to impose taxes and penalties on the foundation when it should not be taxed.

-- BERNAMA