PETALING JAYA: Fearing for his life and safety was what prompted Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz (pix) to come out in the open about his intimate relationship with a federal minister.
Haziq, the former senior private secretary to Deputy Minister of Primary Industries Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, claimed he was also afraid of what some quarters may be “capable of doing” to silence him.
“It was a risk but I would rather be in the spotlight than suffer the same fate as Altantuya Shaariibuu,” he said in an exclusive interview with theSun yesterday about his alleged affair with Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.
Altantuya, a Mongolian national who was a model and interpreter, was murdered in 2006.
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and his associate Abdul Razak Baginda were implicated in the murder while two police personnel - Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar - have been convicted of the murder.
On Tuesday and Wednesday last week, two video clips depicting two men – one of whom has a resemblance to Azmin – in a compromising position, surfaced on social media.
On the day after the first video went viral, Haziq admitted that he was the other man in the video and “confirmed” that Azmin was indeed with him.
He later accused Azmin of recording their intimate moment “for his own private collection”.
Azmin has vehemently denied any involvement with Haziq or the video, and insists he only knows Haziq by sight.
Haziq has since been suspended from his position as aide to Shamsul. He was also arrested last Friday and subsequently released on police bail.
Meanwhile, Perak PKR chairman Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, who is political secretary to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, offered his view that Azmin should “do the honourable thing and step down” if there was overwhelming evidence against him.
“I have been flooded with calls and messages but there is nothing for me to say for now. It is best we let the police do their job,” he said.
“Forensics experts have confirmed that the video is not fake so there is nothing more to dispute. This whole fiasco is turning into a circus performance. They are implicating everyone, including me.
“It is time those responsible own up and put the matter to rest so we can move on to more pressing issues.”
