The police have been urged to expedite investigations concerning pro tem Puteri Umno chief Azalina Othman Said's alleged abuse of power in order to clear her status before the wing's inaugural election next month.

Close aide-turned-nemesis Elly Zalilah Yusof said today it was unfair for Azalina to contest in the election with these allegations hovering above her.

Elly, who lodged a police report against the Puteri Umno chief on Sept 11, told malaysiakini that the police have yet to call her.

In her report, the 26-year-old entrepreneur claimed that vehicles belonging to the wing were registered under the names of people with no ties to Puteri Umno.

She also questioned why the wing has three separate bank accounts and alleged that there were discrepancies in the funds collected for Afghan refugees.

The case has been referred to the federal commercial crime division in Bukit Aman.

Mahathir's comment

Reacting to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's comment on the matter, Elly said: "To my understanding, Dr Mahathir takes the matter seriously. I am glad about it."

The premier, who is also Umno president, told reporters this morning that party members are free to lodge reports against those believed to be involved in wrongdoings.

However, Mahathir reminded party members that they should not resort to such actions for political gains.

"She (Elly) came to see me and informed (me) about the wrongdoings. I said if there is ground for misconduct, go to the police. That misconduct is not politically related.

"But when contest for the division was about to begin, all sort of things come out, including in a press conference... that's not right," the premier was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

The premier was referring to the press conference called by Elly, after lodging the report, where she exposed Azalina's alleged misconduct.

She told reporters that the police report was lodged after approaching "a senior Umno leader", whom she declined to name.

Following this, she was slapped with a show cause letter for breaching party ethics by bringing internal problems into the open.

Last Monday, Elly pleaded not guilty to the charge when her case was heard by the Umno disciplinary committee.

No decision was made following the seven-hour hearing, which also heard the testimonies from witnesses aligned to both factions.

Meeting with PM

Meanwhile, Mahathir's comment confirmed a malaysiakini report last Friday, where a Puteri Umno member claimed that the police report was lodged with the blessings of the prime minister.

It is believed that six members, including those from the exco line-up who claimed to have been indiscriminately sacked by Azalina, met the premier at his office in Putrajaya on Sept 9.

They were said to have sought Mahathir's advice on what action they should take and the premier told them that the matter should be handled by the police.

The six also complained to the premier about the threats they were receiving, including those from thugs, which they suspect is linked to Azalina.

The turmoil in Puteri Umno first surfaced in April when Malay tabloid, Perdana Sari , claimed that Azalina was homosexual and accused her of purchasing a luxury car for her lover with the wing's funds.

The crisis flared in recent weeks in the run-up to the wing's inaugural election where five others have expressed their intention to contest against the chief.

The five have yet to receive a single nomination while Azalina has bagged 109 nominations from the wing's 165 divisions nationwide.

The Puteri Umno constitution states that a candidate must receive a minimum of two nominations to be eligible to contest.

Azalina, a practising lawyer, was handpicked by Mahathir to lead the wing which was formed to attract young Malay women into the Umno fold.