GEORGE TOWN, Oct 11 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must arrest and investigate Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya for supporting a fake dentist, said DAP’s Lim Guan Eng.
The Penang chief minister said Dr Hilmi must be investigated for appealing on behalf of Nur Farahanis Ezatty Adli who was fined RM70,000 for practising dentistry without a licence.
Lim also accused the Balik Pulau MP of lying when the latter previously denied supporting the person.
“Today, he admitted that he had forwarded the bogus dentist’s (Nur) appeal letter to the Health Ministry’s Oral Health Division director ‘for consideration’, citing his duty as Balik Pulau MP,” Lim said.
He pointed out that Dr Hilmi admitted that a friend had approached him to help the woman.
“He said in his capacity as a member of parliament, he made a call to the ministry director general and asked whether the woman could be reprimanded with only a fine or a compound,” Lim claimed.
Dr Hilmi was responding to an Instagram post by Nur Farahanis, who claimed that her “business” was approved by the Health Ministry.
She had expressed gratitude to both Dr Hilmi and his private secretary, Aziaan Ariffin. She was fined RM70,000 in default of six months’ jail by the Sessions Court in Melaka on September 29.
Lim said Penang state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh was arrested by MACC on August 11 for allegedly sending two appeal letters to Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai seeking a delay in demolition action against an illegal factory.
“If Phee can be arrested and investigated for sending two appeal letters in his capacity as a wakil rakyat, why should Dr Hilmi be exempted from arrest when he had forwarded the fake, bogus and illegal dentist’s appeal letter to the Health Ministry?” Lim demanded.
He urged the MACC to arrest Hilmi for possible abuse of power of helping and “supporting” an illegal dentist to prove that MACC is impartial and professional against all politicians, whether from Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan.
“There is no reason for MACC not to arrest Dr Hilmi. Failure to arrest Dr Hilmi to investigate DrHilmi, as MACC had done on Phee Boon Poh, could lend suspicions of double-standards which may undermine public confidence in the credibility of MACC,” he said.
