‘Stop sending donations’ Urges Akmal to the Public Again

UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has again asked the public to stop sending donations to his personal bank account, saying some people were still transferring money despite his earlier appeal.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday (Oct 28), Akmal said he wanted to complete the distribution of all the donations he had received to those in need, Sinar Harian reported.

He said he was grateful that people were still contributing, but asked everyone not to make any more donation transactions to his account. He also apologised for having to withdraw the bank account number he had shared in an earlier post.

Defamation damages owed to Teresa Kok

The donations began after Akmal offered his Honda X-ADV motorcycle and the tilapia he farms for bidding, to raise funds to pay RM300,000 in damages and court costs, according to Sinar Harian.

Malaysiakini reported that on Monday (Oct 19), the Melaka High Court ordered Akmal to pay DAP’s Teresa Kok RM300,000 in damages and legal costs, and barred him from making further defamatory statements against the Seputeh MP.

The suit stemmed from his labelling of Kok as an “old Nyonya”, among other remarks, after she criticised a proposal to make halal certification mandatory for restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork and alcohol, Malaysiakini reported.

Stop sending donations, says Akmal

On Oct 21, Akmal took down his bank account details after receiving RM45,102.18, as many people were sending donations instead of deposits for the auction items, Malaysiakini reported. He had earlier asked serious bidders to deposit RM100 with their offers.

On Oct 23, Akmal said public donations had reached RM173,733.61 and that he would channel the money to people in need, with details of the distribution to be published on social media, The Vibes reported.

He said then that a friend had bought the motorcycle for RM150,000, while the tilapia fetched nearly RM30,000 after three days of bidding, according to The Vibes.

Akmal had earlier said he chose to sell his own assets first rather than take up suggestions to open a fund for him, Sinar Harian reported.

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