Muhyiddin: Bersatu weighing options to sue MACC over frozen accounts

Bersatu is weighing all its options to drag MACC into a legal battle for freezing the party’s fund accounts, said party president Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin claimed that it was unlawful for MACC to continue suspending Bersatu’s access to its accounts for over 12 months.

“Our lawyers have briefed the party that our demand to get back access to all our bank accounts is valid from a legal perspective.

“(The law says) that they can suspend accounts (related to MACC investigation) for up to 12 months, which is already unfair. But now even after 12 months they still freeze our accounts.

“They (MACC) did not seize the accounts but freeze them. On what grounds? We are of the view that their action is unlawful and is also seen as a form of abuse of power.

“Because whatever is not done by the law... any agency including MACC cannot go against the law,” he told a press conference after Bersatu’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Shah Alam earlier today.

‘We had to get funds from members’

Muhyiddin, who is a former prime minister, said Bersatu has not been charged with any wrongdoing and thus it has the right to challenge MACC’s action.

Adding further, he said the anti-graft agency’s action had practically starved the party of its financial resources and affected Bersatu’s operations.

The situation had gone to the extent of Bersatu having to collect contributions from its members to hold the meeting, according to Muhyiddin.

“How can we manage our accounts, when these legitimate accounts cannot be used? We can’t even open new bank accounts. They don’t allow us.

“That is very bad and to me, this is unconstitutional and against the law.

“So we are discussing with our lawyers, whether to take action against MACC. Because they are the ones that ordered the banks,” he said.

Last year, MACC froze and later seized several bank accounts related to Bersatu.

According to the agency’s statements, they were investigating the party under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorist Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

Earlier during the Bersatu AGM, party treasurer Rina Harun said the party’s finances were in a “critical” state due to the freeze.

She pledged to resolve the matter and is looking at alternative means for the party to generate finances.

“I also want to mobilise the treasurers at the state and division levels to generate income and economic activity, at least to allow the divisions to function independently,” she was quoted as saying by FMT.

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