Bersatu Infighting Revives Sandakan Video Scandal But What S It About

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KINIGUIDE | Infighting within Bersatu has unexpectedly resurrected a scandal many thought was long buried - the "Sandakan sex video" saga from six years ago.
Amid issues surrounding statutory declarations being signed to allegedly oust Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, in which Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan was accused of being behind, the latter dragged party secretary-general Azmin Ali into the mix.
At a recent press conference, Wan Saiful revived the sex scandal by accusing Azmin of being the man in the video, saying this disqualified him from leading the party.
Wan Saiful's remarks have deepened rifts in the party, with Azmin quickly hitting back, denouncing the allegation as slander.
The former minister’s allies in the party have rallied behind him, demanding that Wan Saiful be expelled, pushing the feud to new heights.
Bersatu sec-gen Azmin Ali (left) and supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan JanIn this instalment of KiniGuide, Malaysiakini revisits the 2019 scandal that once rocked Malaysian politics.
What’s in the video?
In the early hours of June 11, 2019, three sex clips were circulated through several WhatsApp groups targeting the media and PKR leaders.
The videos, seemingly filmed in the same hotel room, depicted two naked men engaged in intimate acts in bed.
One of them resembled Azmin, who was at the time the PKR deputy president and economy minister.
The groups also shared what appeared to be bank transfer receipts, alleging that on Dec 19, 2017, US$741,440 (RM3 million at that time) was transferred from UEM Group's Maybank account into a Deutsche Bank account purportedly belonging to Azmin.
Both UEM and Maybank denied the claims, with UEM filing a police report, and Maybank calling the documents forgeries.
How did it implicate Azmin?
The following morning, the then-Santubong PKR division youth chief Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz uploaded a 34-second clip on Facebook, claiming he was one of the duo in the video and naming Azmin as the other.
He alleged the recording was secretly made on May 11 that year, during the Sandakan by-election, in Azmin's room at the Four Points Hotel.
Haziq called on the MACC to investigate Azmin for alleged corruption and declared him unfit for leadership.
Ex-PKR member Haziq Abdullah Abdul AzizThat evening, Azmin broke his silence, categorically denying the allegation and vowing to pursue legal action against those behind it.
However, less than two hours later, a second batch of videos was leaked through newly created WhatsApp groups.
A third round surfaced on June 18, 2019, followed by a final leak three months later.
How did political leaders react?
The videos immediately fueled speculation, with many linking them to PKR's internal rivalry and a purported ploy by party president Anwar Ibrahim and then-vice president Rafizi Ramli to take down Azmin.
At the time, many Anwar supporters believed that then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was promoting Azmin to sideline Anwar.
Anwar dismissed the notion, stressing that he, Azmin, and Rafizi were in the same camp, and that Mahathir had reaffirmed the succession plan.
Azmin with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim circa 2018Rafizi distanced himself from the scandal, even skipping PKR’s political bureau meeting convened to discuss the issue.
Was Azmin the real target?
Then-PKR Women chief Haniza Talha suspected that the real targets were Mahathir and newly appointed MACC chief Latheefa Koya, who was perceived to be aligned with Azmin's faction.
Latheefa had only taken office on June 4, 2019, appointed directly by Mahathir.
Other PKR leaders believed the scandal was orchestrated to frame Anwar as the mastermind, thereby damaging his reputation.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang went further, suggesting foreign interference might have been involved.
Was Farhash involved?
Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, Anwar's political secretary and Perak PKR chief at that time, purportedly went "missing" during this period, fuelling speculation.
He was later arrested and held for a week before being released to a hero's welcome at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Ex-Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak outside the Dang Wangi police HQ in 2019Farhash insisted he had been on leave to work on his PhD in management and denied any involvement.
He also denied rumours that he met Haziq at KLIA before the latter’s trip to Manila.
However, Farhash urged Azmin to resign if the clips were genuine.
Azmin, in turn, maintained it was obvious who the "dalang" (mastermind) was, saying he was convinced that members of his own party were behind the video leaks.
How did PKR handle the issue?
In short, they sacked Haziq.
On June 19, 2019, PKR's political bureau reversed its earlier wait-and-see approach and ordered the disciplinary board to issue him a show-cause letter.
Two weeks later, Haziq was expelled for publicly accusing party leaders of corruption.
The board declined to reveal a second reason for his sacking, citing ongoing police investigations.
The decision did little to ease tensions within the party. Instead, PKR's internal conflict intensified, culminating in the infamous Sheraton Move in February the following year.
The Primary Industries Ministry, where Haziq was private secretary to then-deputy minister Shamsul Iskandar Akin, also terminated his service on June 18, 2019, citing damage to the ministry's image.
What did investigators conclude?
No criminal charges were filed.
Police arrested Haziq on June 14, 2019, at KLIA as he prepared to fly to the Philippines. The probe was carried out under several laws, including:
Penal Code Section 377B (unnatural intercourse)
Section 292 (distribution of obscene material)
Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace)
Communications and Multimedia Act Section 233 (improper use of network facilities and services)
A police special task force was formed. More than 10 individuals, including Farhash, were arrested or questioned.
Ex-IGP Abdul Hamid BadorOn July 18 that year, then inspector-general of police Abdul Hamid Bador confirmed the video was authentic, but Cybersecurity Malaysia could not ascertain the identities of the two men recorded engaging in sexual acts.
He said the investigation revealed a "wicked pact", masterminded by a political leader, to embarrass and tarnish Azmin's reputation.
In January 2020, then-attorney-general Tommy Thomas announced that no prosecution would follow, as forensic experts could not conclusively identify the individuals in the videos. - Mkini

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