Tun Faisal argues account freeze unlawful as Bersatu not charged

Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz claimed that the MACC's continued freeze of the party's accounts is unlawful as the party has not been charged with a crime.

He further claimed that the MACC, in claiming that the accounts can't be unfrozen pending trial, was confused.

“It appears the (MACC) official is confused between Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and the party’s accounts.

“So, there is a possibility the MACC may have abused its powers and the law, which is why legal action must be taken against the commission,” Faisal (above) said in a statement yesterday.

His argument hinges on Section 52(A) Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Amla) indicates that the accounts’ seizure must be rescinded if the person in question is not charged within 12 months of the date of the seizure.

While Bersatu has not been charged since the accounts were frozen in January 2023, the party accounts are part of the criminal trial against Muhyiddin.

Specifically, Muhyiddin was accused in his money laundering case of using Bersatu's accounts to receive millions in proceeds from unlawful activities.

The High Court had initially acquitted the Bersatu president, but the Court of Appeal quashed this.

Glossing over this, Faisal maintained that the MACC had been acting cruelly in keeping the party's accounts frozen, hence, a legal challenge against the graft buster was warranted.

Bersatu had complained over the weekend that the account freeze had severely limited the party's ability to finance grassroots activities, with the party's annual general meeting being partly funded by contributions from key leaders.

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