Umno sec-gen denies party not helping Utusan

Umno is not washing its hands of the troubles plaguing Utusan Malaysia, said secretary-general Annuar Musa.

In fact, Annuar said, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will be meeting with Utusan's board of directors today.

"Some have written that Umno is washing their hands on this. That's not true, we have always been helping.

"Our commitment is to help Utusan, even though Umno is no longer the biggest shareholder," he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Staff from Utusan and sister publication Kosmo have not been paid for up to three months, and were informed that print operations would cease on Wednesday.

Former Umno president Najib Abdul Razak put the blame on the Pakatan Harapan government for freezing's the party's accounts, rendering them unable to help the newspaper.

Umno's funds were frozen as they had originated from Najib's bank account, funds from which investigators claim were stolen from state-owned 1MDB.

The government is seeking to forfeit RM116 million in funds from the party.

In February, Umno sold 31.61 percent of its stake in Utusan to its former Kulim Bandar Baharu MP Abd Aziz Sheikh Fadzir for RM6.65 million, representing a 65.2 percent premium. - Mkini