KUALA LUMPUR: Funds seized from Pekan Umno and the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) during investigations into 1MDB have been returned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
The agency returned RM700,000 to Pekan Umno and RM188,138 to SUPP. The money, allegedly linked to 1MDB, had been transferred from the personal bank account of former prime minister Najib Razak.
MACC prosecutor Abdul Rashid Sulaiman told the High Court today that the prosecution is withdrawing its application to stay a previous court decision in dismissing MACC’s application to forfeit the funds seized.
The forfeiture application was dismissed as MACC had failed to prove that the RM700,000 seized from Pekan Umno was the proceeds of an unlawful activity.
Justice Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh said Pekan Umno had stated it had fully used up the RM700,000 to defray expenses for utilities, purchase of equipment and other payments. The balance appearing in the account did not originate from Najib’s accounts.
Shahrir also held that MACC had not adduced sufficient evidence to support its application for a forfeiture order to be granted.
In June last year, MACC’s chief commissioner, then Latheefa Koya, said the agency had filed a civil forfeiture suit against 41 respondents to forfeit about RM270 million allegedly linked to the 1MDB fund scandal and received by the respondents from Najib.