The Malaysian Insight

THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has named former prime minister Najib Razak as being among the respondents in an amended civil forfeiture suit,

This is because he is an office-bearer in the Pekan Umno division, allegedly a recipient of funds linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). 

Najib, who is the Pekan MP, is the head of the division.

Najib’s son Mohd Nizar Najib, who is the division’s Pemuda Umno chief, was also on the list of more than 40 respondents submitted to Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali in the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Other Pekan Umno members also facing action are the division’s deputy chief  Zamri Ramly and Puteri Umno head Sida Tantiana Sariat.

Najib and Nizar were not present in court today.

The High Court also allowed the prosecution, led by DPP Allan Suman Pillai, to file a gazette notice to allow third parties claiming any interest in the money owed to the government to come forward.

Nazlan set November 15 for the filing of the notice.

MACC is seeking to recover RM700,000 of 1MDB’s money allegedly given to Pekan Umno. 

Last week, Umno lawyer M. Reza Hassan said the Pekan division declined to settle amount sought by the anti-graft agency.

He also applied to strike out the suit on grounds that it did not meet procedural compliance. Reza said the government had failed to identify the office-bearers in the suit. 

Nazlan dismissed the application to strike out the case.

MACC is suing 41 individuals and organisations to recover RM270 million of 1MDB-linked funds.

Earlier today, Reza made an oral application to stay the forfeiture proceedings pending an appeal to the appellate court.

The prosecution objected, saying the proceedings would not get in the way of the appeal process.

The court fixed October 3 to hear the stay application– September 6, 2019.