Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has lashed out at Gerakan for urging him to demand the return of 1MDB funds from three former Umno leaders who now lead Pakatan Harapan.
Responding to the call from Gerakan president Dominic Lau, Lim said Lau's suggestion did not make sense as the money from the scandal-riddled sovereign wealth fund did not enter the trio's personal accounts.
"I don't know why we want to ask (return 1MDB money) from them? Did the money go into their personal accounts?
"This suggestion doesn't make sense at all. They (Gerakan) did not ask for the money which went into (former premier) Najib (Abdul Razak)'s account.
"Yet, they want to ask it from unrelated people. How does it make sense?" he told the media at Putrajaya today.
In a statement yesterday, Lau suggested Lim ask Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (above), Kedah Menteri Besar Mukriz Mahathir and Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal to return 1MDB funds they received.
"The state liaison committees of Sabah Umno, Johor Umno and Kedah Umno are on the forfeiture list published by the MACC.
“Shafie was still Umno vice-president when the (1MDB) scandal broke, while the then Johor Umno chief was Muhyiddin, and Mukhriz was the Umno chief in Kedah,” he had said.
Prior to this, Lim had revealed that three press associations based in Penang and northern Malaysia had received 1MDB-linked funds.
The Penang Press Club had then admitted that it's one of the recipients and would convene an emergency meeting to discuss returning the fund amounting to RM50,000.
The club received the fund at a dinner, which was also attended by the fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (above), widely known as Jho Low.
Last Friday, the MACC filed civil forfeiture suits worth RM270 million against 41 local individuals and groups - the largest forfeiture suit in Malaysian history.
The monies were allegedly distributed to the respondents from former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's personal AmBank account, purportedly created to receive 1MDB money.
In an interview with Malaysiakini last year, Lim had urged the Chinese media to condemn press groups for receiving money from the 1Malaysia-Penang Welfare Club, as it was money likely misappropriated from 1MDB. -Mkini
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