Bersatu's account freeze could hurt party's chance at state polls - Faizal

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

This is because Bersatu is a "small party" that does not have a lot of funds, he explained.

"If we have no money at all, it won't be easy to hold an election campaign. It would hamper our campaign efforts.

"However, we will go ahead and meet voters one by one on foot if that's what it takes," the former Perak menteri besar told Sinar Harian.

Noting that he did not know why Bersatu's accounts were frozen, Faizal (above) said that the party will nevertheless cooperate with the MACC.

"We hope they can conduct their investigations quickly because we will have issues with the party's operations, including paying workers' salaries, with our accounts frozen," he added.

RM300m alleged contribution

It was reported yesterday that MACC froze two of Bersatu's accounts two weeks ago to facilitate investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act.

According to a MACC source, the account freeze was over allegations that Bersatu received contributions from some 10 contractors who were given various projects when the party was in power, estimated to be more than RM300 million in total.

Following the freeze, Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin claimed that the administration was using the MACC to discredit the party, as well as Perikatan Nasional, of which it is a component.

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

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