Muhyiddin: Frozen bank accounts hampering rent, staff payments

 

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin today said his party will write a letter to the MACC with a request to unfreeze its accounts, which are currently under probe.

Muhyiddin, who again denied claims Bersatu received ill-gotten funds while he served as prime minister, said the request was to ease the party's operations including paying wages to its staff and office rentals.

"Bersatu will write a letter to the MACC today so that the freeze can be lifted.

"Once our accounts are frozen, we, as an important and major political party, have no money to pay wages for even a month, and now they are saying the freeze is for three months," said the Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur after a retreat for the coalition's parliamentarians.

Also present were PN leaders including PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Gerakan president Dominic Lau.

"After checks have found there are no impropriety or abuse of power, MACC must expedite their decision to unfreeze the accounts," Muhyiddin added.

The Pagoh MP also reiterated Bersatu's hope that authorities will not use the move to "paralyse" PN ahead of the six state polls which must be called by June.

"There are people saying the move was politically motivated because it can hinder our efforts to take part in the state polls and assist our PN partners," he said.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki on Tuesday confirmed Bersatu’s accounts had been frozen two weeks ago to facilitate investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki

The revelation came just two days after the party declared its 2020 and 2021 accounts, in an attempt to counter allegations of corruption.

Further, Muhyiddin stressed that Bersatu's audited financial records as revealed to the public will clear the party of any impropriety claims.

Earlier today, Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu said MACC’s freezing of the party's accounts could hurt its chances in the upcoming state elections.

Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin yesterday accused the current federal administration of using a government agency as a tool to “kill” the party’s credibility, as well as that of PN. - Mkini