Hot on the heels of the social media leak that a Perlis UMNO MP had been accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl, Shahidan Kassim has come forward to admit he is the parliamentarian at the center of the scandal.
The Arau district MP has reiterated that the allegations against him sexually molesting a teenage girl are simply a “misunderstanding” via his lawyer. Yesterday, the MP spent a few hours speaking to authorities at central police headquarters, Bukit Aman, who have been tasked with investigating the claims.
Lawyer Thalia Rohaina Abdul Latiff stood by Shahidan as he read from a prepared statement that divulged scant details on the matter, saying only that the situation emanated from a meeting that the former minister in the Prime Minister’s office had with a group buskers seeking financial assistance. One of the group and their manager wanted to meet the MP, Shahidan claims. After passing them the money, he says that he went home.
“I treat all of the busker group members just like my own children and family members,” he told members of the media gathered in Parliament.
However, reporters then asked the MP about allegations that the young girl had been inside his car, what was said, and whether his driver was with him at the time of the encounter.
Shahidan has remained mum, and said that details had been told to police who would now investigate.
Irked that the case had been re-opened after the family withrew their claims, he added “you people re-open[ed] it.”
Perhaps in the dark of the gravity of the accusation and subsequent sudden retraction, and the fact that police were unwilling to investigate what prompted such claims, he asked media: “Why did the story come up now? I don’t understand why it became viral and where it came from.”
Anyone care to explain “news” to the Arau MP? Anyone? Hello?
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