A DAP lawmaker has questioned Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's arithmetic skills, when the premier said it costs RM41 million to pay for electoral deposits.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said the deposit for parliamentary seats is RM15,000 and, state seats cost even less.

"So (even) if you add up the 222 parliamentary seats and 567 state seats, and multiply by RM15,000 the total is less than RM12 million.

"What happened to the rest of the RM41 million? Did Najib pocket it?" Lim ( photo ) asked at a press conference at the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

According to the Election Commission's regulations, each election candidate is required to put in a RM10,000 deposit in addition to a RM5,000 or RM3,000 deposit for parliamentary or state campaign materials respectively.

Thus, if a party were to contest all seats, it would have to pay RM3.33 million and RM7.37 million for parliamentary and state seat deposits for a grand total of RM10.7 million.

Who paid deposits?

Najib had come up with the RM41 million figure while rebutting former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's claims that he only spent RM10 million for each election.

Besides questioning Najib's ability to calculate numbers, Lim also asked if BN component parties besides Umno had their deposits paid for by the BN chief.

Najib has come under fire for receiving a RM2.6 billion donation into his personal accounts.

The donation is reportedly for Umno and corporate social responsibility programmes.

Related reports

'Topple Najib' plotter is an old man, says Zahid

MP: Toppling PM through confidence vote not illegal

Arul can't slink away from US$1b Cayman poser

MB: S'gor has RM1b more than 'someone's donation'

Bar snubs funding panel, wants RM2.6b probed first

Gov’t to get social media to put a stop to ‘false news’

Puad gets royal roasting over PM-sultan relations

Did Rahman Dahlan spill beans on Najib?

Umno needs to rewrite ‘political donation’ script

Round 2: Umno moves to sack Muhyiddin as No 2?

Muhyiddin not involved in 'topple' plot

Plot to ‘topple gov’t’ is a red herring