Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is pictured leaving the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex February 21, 2019. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today announced that he will resume his position as Umno president after ending his six-month garden leave.

Malaysiakini reported that his announcement was in conjunction with his first anniversary as the party president.

“So one-year anniversary is important to me, hence on June 30, 2019, I wish to announce that I am ending my (garden) leave today,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

He reportedly made the announcement at a Hari Raya function in Sungai Sumun, Perak earlier, which is his Bagan Datuk constituency.

Zahid has been on garden leave since December last year. He is currently facing a total of 87 corruption charges.

He still decided to make a comeback despite pressure for him to step aside as opponents within the party claimed he had a lack of direction.

On December 18, he announced that his deputy, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan will take over as the new acting president.

Meanwhile, several hours ago, former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who is a close ally of Mohamad, had said that Zahid should first seek the Umno supreme council’s opinion before announcing his return.

“Morally, it should be discussed by the Umno supreme council. Zahid was on leave and the supreme council carries out his duties so it would be unfair if the supreme council is not consulted.

“To say that it is solely Zahid’s decision, I would disagree. In the last few months, including the three by-election wins we achieved, they were all done under Tok Mat (Mohamad),” Malaysiakini’s report also quoted him as saying after he officiated the Sungai Buloh Umno divisional meeting in Shah Alam today.