KUALA LUMPUR: A police report has been lodged regarding the circulation of an image on social media allegedly showing Tanah Merah member of Parliament Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz vaping in the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) yesterday.
The report was filed by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) lawmaker's special officer, Wan Mohd Faissol Ismail, at the Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur at approximately 11:18 am today.
Ikmal Hisham issued a statement today, stating that the image posted in the 'X' (formerly Twitter) account @sadiqasyraf is a baseless accusation intended to tarnish his image, credibility and reputation.
"I have directed my officer to file a police report regarding the content on the account owned by @sadiqasyraf, which allegedly shows me vaping while leaving the Dewan Rakyat on September 19, 2023.
"The owner of account acted with ill intentions when accusing me of vaping, whereas what I held at that moment was merely a pen briefly placed near my lips," he stated.
Ikmal Hisham mentioned that the police report was filed to enable the authorities to conduct an investigation and take action against the dissemination of the image.
Additionally, he stated that they are planning to take legal action against the owner of the account.
"Legal action will be taken to demand an apology for the baseless accusations that have harmed my reputation. This has also made me a target of attacks on social media due to the irresponsible posting," he added.
Furthermore, he characterised the image's dissemination as politically motivated and damaging to his image and that of PN federal lawmakers as a whole.
"I have also received a letter from the Secretary of the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) requesting me to provide an explanation to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker regarding the image. I have no issue providing an explanation, but I kindly request the Speaker to review the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the Dewan Rakyat to determine the actual situation," he stated.
Ikmal Hisham firmly asserted in his statement that he is not a smoker and has never smoked or vaped in his entire life.
"If anyone accuses me of being a smoker, I challenge them to prove their claim by showing any image of me smoking in the past 30 years," he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Dang Wangi District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Noor Dellhan Yahaya, confirmed receiving the police report related to the matter.
"Yes, we have received the police report," he said.
The image in question had gone viral on social media after it was believed to have been uploaded by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's photographer on the 'X' platform.
The photographer, known as Sadiq Asyraf, posted the image with the caption, "Truly torn, immediately takes a vape drag while leaving the hall".