Hamid’s daughters: Our dad is not a millionaire

KOTA KINABALU: The daughters of Hamid Apdal, who has been remanded as the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) probes into a case involving embezzlement of funds in federal projects in Sabah, have slammed news reports labelling their father as a millionaire.

“I want to stand up for him because some reports have been unfair.

“My father is an ordinary man and he is not a millionaire.

“And what was said regarding a bungalow that we are living in is actually a renovated terrace house,” said Hamid’s oldest daughter, Nurul Azirah Hamid, 26, at a press conference with her sisters — Nurul Amizah Hamid, 25, Nurul Anisah Hamid, 23, and Nurul Azzureen Hamid, 19.

Azirah said the house, which was rumoured to be a lavish bungalow, was a terrace unit in a housing area in Petagas here, where three families were staying, including two of her sisters, who are married, with their partners and children, as well as their two younger school-going brothers aged 8 and 9.

Azirah said they were still paying for the house.

“My mother is sad. So, we did not ask her to come.

“I don’t even want to watch television anymore because certain media portrayed my dad as a millionaire.

“He is a Felda settler (with a plot of land in Semporna) for the past few years. Prior to that, he was a salesman for a car dealership.

“He nearly went bankrupt in the past and was served a bankruptcy notice in 2014 for being unable to pay for a house (which had been auctioned off in 2010),” added Azirah in tears as she was overcome with emotions.

She was baffled as to why her father, the younger brother of Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, was dragged into the investigation as he had no links to Shafie’s past ministry role.