Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on June 27, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has investigated the purported bank transfers and accounts related to the viral sex video clips and found that they do not exist, said its deputy chief commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki.

The investigations follow a report lodged by Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam earlier this month over the alleged cash transfer of US$741,440 by UEM Group Bhd into a Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) account that bore the name of Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

“This is reflected in the denials in the United Engineers Malaysia’s [UEM] and Maybank’s press statements on the matter. There is also an allegation of another account in existence in 2017 but our investigations showed that the account does not exist.

“Despite this, we will continue our investigations and call the various individuals. I cannot disclose whom we are going to call,” he said.

It was previously reported that Azam would be leading the MACC’s investigations regarding the sex video tapes as its chief commissioner Latheefa Koya, who was a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) member, declined to be involved.

Mohamed Azmin is the deputy president of PKR.

Regarding the forfeiture action that MACC filed, Azam agreed it may not be limited to the 41 persons and entities that had been named so far.

“I will give an update on this later. There are more involved,” he said.

Azam added that after the forfeiture action was filed, there were parties involved who wanted to return the money through their lawyers.

“I cannot disclose their names and will give an update on this matter later,” he added.

On Friday, Latheefa announced that the commission had filed the forfeiture action involving RM270 million allegedly originating from 1Malaysia Development Bhd that was paid to 41 entities from former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s AmBank account.

On Tuesday, the first seven of them were called by the High Court, where Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan fixed Aug 25 to gazette the notice for the forfeiture and for the parties involved to indicate whether they will object to the seizure.

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