1MDB: COURT ALLOWS GOVERNMENT'S FORFEITURE OF RM100,000 FROM HASAN MALEK

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 -- The RM100,000 frozen from the bank account of former Kuala Pilah MP Datuk Seri Hasan Malek in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) investigation is now the property of the Government of Malaysia.

High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan made the ruling after deputy public prosecutor from Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Mahadi Abdul Jumaat informed the court that the  respondent (Hasan) had filed a representation to return the money.

"The applicant's affidavit was not answered by the respondent, and no third party responded to our gazette to contest the lawsuit.

"So, we ask for the money to be forfeited by the government," Mahadi said when the case was mentioned here today.

Lawyer Muhammad Iqbal Ismail, representing Hasan, did not contest the matter.

Meanwhile, the court set Dec 4 and 5 to hear oral submissions on the government's forfeiture applications against three entities namely UMNO, Wanita MCA and Sabah UMNO Liaison Committee.

Mahadi said the applicant (Public Prosecutor) had filed an affidavit on Aug 23 and told the court that no third parties claiming any interest in the money frozen from the three entities had appeared in court.

“The gazette notification for third parties was published on July 24 for all respondents (three entities) and no third parties are present," he said.

The government had applied to forfeit RM212,965,413.61 from UMNO; RM300,000 from Wanita MCA and RM1,254,112.24 from Sabah UMNO Liaison Committee.

Judge Mohamed Zaini also set Sept 27 for the applicant to send in written submissions and Oct 18 for the respondents to send in their replies.

Lawyers Aieshah Nadia Masdar, Low Hai Liang, and Harcharanjit Singh represented UMNO, Wanita MCA, and Sabah UMNO Liaison Committee, respectively.

The application for forfeiture was made under Section 56(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001. 

MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya told a press conference recently that the prosecution filed forfeiture applications against 41 respondents in a bid to recover about RM270 million related to 1MDB.

She said MACC acted under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act as it believes the sums concerned were actually 1MDB funds transferred from the account of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

-- BERNAMA