Malaysia PM fights Mugabe's corner over timber

THE PALACE THAT MUGABE BUILT

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By Staff Reporter

THE Malaysian Prime Minister has come out fighting, defending former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over his timber gift towards Zimbabwean tyrant Robert Mugabe's £5 million palace in Harare's Borrowdale suburb.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Mahathir did not infringe government guidelines when he donated timber to Mugabe's palace, recently listed as a 'protected area' by government.

“As such, the Government has no basis to prosecute the former Prime Minister for the gift he gave to President Mugabe,” the Prime Minister said in his written reply to Teresa Kok Suh Sim (DAP-Seputeh) during question time in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

He said timber which was used by Mugabe for panelling his residence was a gift from a head of state to another head of state and “...a normal thing in international diplomacy.”

As such, Abdullah said the timber was viewed as a gift from the Malaysian Government to President Mugabe in recognition of his position as the head of the Zimbabwean government.

He said although there were guidelines pertaining to gifts to be given to foreign leaders, there was none on the value of the gifts.

This would be up to the discretion of the palace or the Prime Minister’s Department and did not require the approval of the Cabinet, he said.-
Additional reporting Bernama
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