KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has confirmed that he was not in Dubai, thus denying that he was involved in the so-called 'Dubai Move' to overthrow the government.
The Umno vice-president said any accusations linking him to the move was tantamount to slander.
"I know nothing of this (plot to overthrow the government). I'm neither involved nor was I there (in Dubai).
"I was in Makkah and Madinah to perform the umrah," he told Berita Harian.
Ismail Sabri said he returned to Malaysia yesterday.
"On Dec 24, I arrived in Madinah from Kuala Lumpur. Two days after that, I went to Makkah to perform my umrah.
"And then I came back from Makkah to Kuala Lumpur and arrived early in the morning," he said.
On Saturday, Community Communications Department (J-KOM) deputy director (community communications) Datuk Ismail Yusop had claimed that opposition members of parliament, including some MPs linked to the government, were orchestrating a plot to bring down the unity government.
He had claimed that this came about following a visit to Dubai by the MPs. He also claimed that 'agents' were actively trying to convince people that by early 2024, the Madani government would collapse completely with a specified date and deadline.
Prior to that, messages about a closed-door meeting involving Perikatan Nasional MPs and two Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs in Dubai went viral on social media.
PN has since rubbished the claims.