The Malaysian Insight

PAS has demanded for a public apology from Pakatan Harapan after it was not named in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) forfeiture suit, indicating the allegation it took RM90 million from Umno ahead of the 14th general election was false.

MACC announced yesterday that it has filed a civil forfeiture suit against 41 entities and individuals who allegedly received money stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MBD). The monies were allegedly transferred from an Ambank account under the name of Najib Razak.

PAS Youth chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin said the list of 41 recipients did not include any individual or entity connected to PAS, and this \proves that the party did not receive 1MDB funds.

The list, said Khairil, had validated what was said by former MACC chief Shukri Abdull in February, which cleared PAS of receiving the funds.

Shurki had said there was no evidence of RM90 million from 1MDB going into PAS’ official accounts.

“The ministers who are in government, who spread these lies, should apologise to PAS. This is something that was used to demonise PAS in GE14,” Khairil told reporters on the sidelines of the party’s 65th muktamar (annual congress) in Kuantan today. 

However, a separate MACC investigation was later opened into a clutch of PAS leaders the anti-graft agency suspects could have received the RM90 million.

PH leaders have accused PAS of receiving the RM90 million – a claim that was first made by website Sarawak Report in 2015.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had last year dropped a defamation suit he had brought against Sarawak Report founder Claire Rewcastle-Brown.

Rewcastle-Brown had said Hadi and her agreed to an out-of-court settlement.

However, Sarawak Report was not forced to take down the story containing the original allegation and it remains a matter of public record until today. – June 22, 2019.