By Adrian Lim
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14: The RM188,138.26 which belonged to Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been returned back to the party.
According to national news agency Bernama, the money together with RM700,000 belonging to Pekan Umno have been handed back to the respective parties.
It has been alleged that the money was linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal and transferred from the personal account of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Deputy public prosecutor from MACC Abdul Rashid Sulaiman said this today during case management before High Court Judge Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh.
“The banks have returned the funds amounting to RM700,000 to Pekan Umno and RM188,138.26 to SUPP.
“As such, the prosecution is withdrawing the application for stay of execution of the previous court decision in dismissing our application to forfeit the funds seized from Pekan Umno and SUPP,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Shahrir said the court found that MACC had not gathered enough evidence to support its application to warrant an order for forfeiture to be granted in dismissing the anti-graft agency’s application to forfeit RM188,138.26 from SUPP on August 19.
To recap, former MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya had in June last year said the anti-graft agency had filed a civil forfeiture suit against 41 respondents to forfeit about RM270 million which was alleged linked to 1MDB fund scandal and received by the respondents from Najib.
She revealed that the action was taken under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.—DayakDaily
