Not Bersatu's practice to pay its bureau chiefs, says Muhyiddin's ex-officer
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today heard that Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) did not pay individuals who led its internal bureaus, including its former legal head Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla.
Marzuki Mohamad, the former principal private secretary to party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, testified that no payments were made to prominent lawyer Haniff, who headed the legal and constitutional bureau during the party's early years as it was the practice, reported FMT.
Marzuki, now a university lecturer, was quoted as saying that,"Two other lawyers also offered their services voluntarily. It was standard practice not to offer remuneration."
He was testifying in a 2021 suit filed by Haniff to claim RM12.5 million in legal fees from Bersatu.
Apart from Marzuki, Haniff had named Muhyiddin, deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and treasurer Mohamed Salleh Bajuri as co-defendants.
Haniff claimed he received no response on the multiple invoices he had issued between January and March 2021 while Bersatu, in their defence, claimed that Haniff's services from 2016 to 2020 were offered pro-bono.
Questioned by Haniff's lawyer Nizamuddin Hamid on whether he knew Haniff was never a party member, Marzuki said he had never asked.
On Haniff's invoices and reminders, Marzuki said he had not seen them and that he had learned of Haniff's lawsuit via media reports.
Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir set Aug 25 to deliver his decision after Bersatu lawyer Chetan Jethwani said the defence had closed its case.
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