Seized accounts: Bersatu accuses MACC of contempt of court

The MACC’s seizure of Bersatu’s bank accounts while they are still the subject of a legal dispute amounts to contempt of court, the party argued in a court filing today.

In his affidavit today, Bersatu executive secretary Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya claimed the seizure was an attempt to interfere with the administration of justice by rendering any outcome of the ongoing court proceedings “academic”.

“This wrongful seizure is an attempt to cause any order issued by this honourable court against the wrongful freezing, to be rendered nugatory.

“The MACC’s misconduct to interfere with the due administration of justice or in the court of justice is a contempt of court, and is appropriate and out to be reviewed by this honourable court,” he said in the document filed at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

The document was filed as part of a judicial review to challenge MACC’s move to freeze two Bersatu bank accounts. The court is expected to deliver its decision on May 17 on whether to grant leave for the review to take place.

The party was only notified through a letter dated April 19 and a press release on the following day that the accounts had been seized.

Despite this, Suhaimi claimed the party was never served any seizure order in relation to its accounts, including in MACC’s letter on April 19.

“The MACC media statement is dubious as the notification of the seizure was not made on April 11. On the other hand, this is only disclosed in the MACC media statement.

“In fact, the MACC letter dated April 19 also does not attach the seizure order purportedly issued on April 11,” he said, adding that this raises questions on the validity of MACC’s actions.

Money laundering allegation

Previously, it was reported that MACC froze one Bersatu account at CIMB Islamic Bank and another at Ambank (M) Berhad.

A source at MACC claimed that the balance in the two accounts amounted to about RM40 million.

The accounts were supposedly frozen to facilitate investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act on the allegation that Bersatu received “contributions” from 10 contractors believed to be over RM300 million in total.

Bersatu contended that the freezing of the accounts was part of a malicious conspiracy by the coalition government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The MACC later said it seized the accounts in relation to investigations and charges against Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin is currently charged with abuse of power and money laundering involving RM232.5 million. He has claimed trial to those charges on March 20.

The money laundering was allegedly committed by receiving money banked into Bersatu’s account. - Mkini