Frozen Bersatu accounts: No 'special privilege' should be given - DAP man

It is normal for the MACC to freeze the bank accounts of a party being probed for possible corruption, so there is no reason for Bersatu to get “special privilege” by having its accounts unfrozen, a DAP leader has said.

According to Kampar MP Chong Zhemin, besides Bersatu, the MACC should also investigate the party’s fellow component parties in Perikatan Nasional (PN) - PAS and Gerakan - for excessive spending in the 15th general election (GE15) campaign.

“It is a standard operating procedure for the MACC to freeze bank accounts during the investigation of a potential corruption case.

“When Umno was investigated during the 1MDB scandal, the party’s bank accounts were also frozen. Why is Bersatu, currently under investigation, requesting for the special privilege to have their accounts unfrozen?” Chong, who is also Perak DAP publicity secretary, asked in a statement today.

He was referring to the statement by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin recently that the party will write a letter to the MACC requesting to unfreeze its accounts as it is facing difficulties in paying wages to its staff and office rentals.

‘Where did PN get the money?’

Earlier this week, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed that two of Bersatu’s accounts have been frozen over allegations that the party received contributions to the tune of RM300 million from some 10 contractors who received various projects when the party was running the government.

Elaborating, Chong said the freezing of accounts during a MACC investigation is to ensure the funds will not be used or transferred if the probe confirms the money was obtained illegally.

In calling for a probe against PAS and Gerakan, Chong noted that the number of flags, posters, and billboards hung by PN nationwide during the election campaign was “incredible”, and allegedly surpassed the publicity materials of Pakatan Harapan and BN.

“Where did PN receive such a huge amount of money to use in the election campaign?

“According to Article 19(1)(a) of the 1954 Election Act, the candidate’s expenses for each parliamentary seat cannot exceed RM200,000, and for a state seat, the threshold is RM100,000.

“I urge the Election Commission to also investigate whether the expenditures of PN candidates in the general election have exceeded the legal limit.”

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