UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has raised a total of RM180,000 after selling his motorcycle and farmed tilapia fish through public bids to help cover the RM300,000 in damages and legal costs he owes veteran DAP leader Teresa Kok.
The Merlimau assemblyman said his Honda X-ADV motorcycle was bought by a friend for RM150,000, while the sale of all the tilapia in his fish pond brought in nearly RM30,000.
After three days of bidding, Akmal said he hoped to reach the RM300,000 target by next week by combining the proceeds with savings belonging to him and his family.
“Insya-Allah, combined with my savings and my family’s savings, this should bring the total to RM300,000 by next week.
“I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped and prayed for me,” he said in a Facebook post on Friday.
Akmal had previously offered his motorcycle and farmed tilapia for bidding among supporters and friends as part of his fundraising effort to pay the court-ordered sum.
The Melaka High Court had ordered him to pay general and aggravated damages to Kok, as well as imposed an injunction preventing him from making defamatory statements against the Seputeh MP in the future.
Meanwhile, Akmal thanked members of the public who had supported him, including those who continued contributing money despite his earlier request for donations to stop.
He previously disclosed that public contributions had reached RM173,733.61 and sought permission from donors to distribute the entire amount to people in greater need.
Akmal said he would share details of how every sen was distributed on social media.
He also urged the public to stop transferring money into his account to ensure the donations could be distributed smoothly.
