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Almost two weeks after the issue erupted, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi finally broke his silence on his letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

Apart from defending himself, he trained his guns on what he described as "pro-opposition online portals".

The minister stressed that his letter was not meant to defend alleged Malaysian gambling kingpin Paul Phua, who is facing trial in the United States.

He said the purpose of the controversial Dec 18, 2014 letter was to clarify the status of Paul Phua and the existence of the 14K triad in Malaysia.

"Hence, using my discretion, I issued the explanation letter on Paul Phua's status to the FBI, and it was not a support letter for not charging Paul Phua, as reported by pro-opposition news portals," Zahid told a press conference today.

According to him, there is no 14K triad in Malaysia and Phua is not a member of 14K triad in Malaysia.

'Government is not supporting Paul Phua'

Nevertheless, the minister stressed that he would not compromise on any unhealthy phenomenon in the country and the government would not support whoever had close ties with any crime organisation.

“I have repeatedly said that I will fight against gangsterism, gambling and drugs in our country. I once again stress that I will not compromise with unhealthy phenomenon and this episode has strengthened my spirit to continue to fight and eradicate crime activities.

“The government has not once supported any action by any individual, including Paul Phua, who has close ties with any crime organisation,” Zahid said.

Previously, Phua's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah ( left ) said the home minister penned the letter to correct a "very big mistake" by the Malaysian police regarding his client.

On the letter stating that the poker player also helped Malaysia in national security matters, the Umno-linked lawyer said Zahid may have disclosed the additional information in "defence" of a Malaysian citizen, after coming across it while reviewing Phua's file.

To this, Zahid admitted that the letter was sent on the request of Shafee’s law firm.

He said he had explained this matter to the cabinet and the explanation was accepted, adding that the Foreign Minister Anifah Aman had told this to the press yesterday.

Phua and his son Darren are currently facing charges for involvement in illegal gambling in the US state of Nevada.

The prosecutor, during the trial, had submitted a report prepared by the FBI that stated Phua to be a member of the 14K triad, based on information given by the Malaysian police.

However, Paul’s lawyer submitted the letter written by Zahid to the FBI, which states that Phua is not a member of the triad and had involved himself in several national security projects, and asked the authorities to release him.

The letter was retracted the same day, following strong objections from the prosecutor as the deadline to submit evidence had lapsed.