He also did not miss the opportunity to take a jab at his successor’s “malicious attempt to tarnish his image”.
“To be honest, I am not surprised by the court’s decision. I was very confident because the payment process was transparent and ethical and in accordance with the provisions of Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI).
“I am grateful for today’s decision because it has cleared me of allegations of misconduct while serving as the menteri besar,” he said in a statement posted on Facebook.
The court today ruled that the RM2.7 million paid out to seven employees of Khalid’s office, who had lost their jobs when he was ousted, was legal. The court also rejected the claim of MBI, now headed by menteri besar Azmin Ali, to recoup the payments.
Khalid, who is Bandar Tun Razak MP, said the attempt to recoup the payments was reckless, malicious and motivated by a desire to tarnish his image and that of his team.
He also said he expected the MBI to appeal the court decision to distract people from the “shortcomings and leakages” of the current state administration.
He urged the people of Selangor not to relent in their demand for a more transparent state government.
He said the current administration’s persistence in wanting to buy out the state water utility SPLASH for RM2.8 billion when it was worth only RM800 million raised questions about its integrity as well as its claim that it cared for the rakyat.
“The people should be concerned about spending and ensure that every ringgit spent yields returns and value in kind,” he said.
Khalid resigned as menteri besar in 2014 following a protracted power struggle within PKR and its allies.
MBI had sued the seven former staff, including Khalid’s then political secretary Faekah Husin, to recover the payments, alleging that the sums they were paid were more than what they were entitled to receive.