Dr M: Umno declared illegal then, what should ROS do now?

comments     Published     Updated

Dr Mahathir Mohamad continues to needle the RM2.6 billion issue, and now delves into the past when Umno was declared illegal during his time as president.

He raised the matter when commenting on the claim that the sum deposited into Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's bank account ahead of the last general election was for Umno.

Mahathir, who led Umno for more than two decades, pointed out that the Societies Act stipulates that all financial transactions must be reported.

"There is no evidence that it has done so. It is in breach of the Societies Act.

"Umno was declared illegal in my time. The reasons were hardly serious.

"Umno had not reported and not taken action to recover the money and report to the Registrar of Societies (ROS). What does the law say the registrar should do?" he asked in a blog post.

In 1988, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Umno was an unlawful society due to the existence of several unregistered branches - an illegal act under the Societies Act of 1966.

This followed a tight contest for the president post between Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

The court ruling paved the way for Mahathir to form a new surrogate party called Umno Baru.

Meanwhile, Najib and his supporters have described the RM2.6 billion as political donation from an undisclosed Middle Eastern source.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) also confirmed this, but is still investigating the issue from the point of gratification.

The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing and accused Mahathir of being part of an elaborate plot to topple him.

Najib is also facing a suit filed by former Langkawi Umno member Anina Saadudin over the RM2.6 billion, a move which resulted in the latter losing her party membership.

Related reports

A bloody waste of time, DAP says of Zahid's reply

Not sub judice for Najib to answer about RM2.6b: Ambiga

Show proof RM2.6b not from you, Dr M tells 1MDB

Anti-climax as DPM wraps up RM2.6b explanation in 3 mins

Quizzed on PM's absence, Azalina cites AG's advice

Anti-climax as DPM wraps up RM2.6b explanation in 3 mins

MACC expected to quiz Najib today

The five questions Najib must also answer

1MDB session may mean a greater fall from grace for Najib



Malaysiakini
news and views that matter


Sign In