THE Kuala Lumpur High Court today allowed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to confiscate RM269,662 of Naza Quest Sdn Bhd’s money, allegedly linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali recorded a consent judgment ordering the amount in the company’s Maybank Islamic current account to be forfeited to the government.

The car dealership, represented by Yunos Shariff, did not contest the forfeiture. 

Present in court today was deputy public prosecutor Allan Suman Pillai.

The MACC filed a civil forfeiture suit on June 21 against 41 entities and individuals, including Naza Quest, to recover RM270 million allegedly misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

On the same day, Naza Quest said in a press statement that the money was from former prime minister Najib Razak and for the purchase of four Chevrolet cars.

The forfeiture was related to two transactions, Naza Quest said. The first transaction of RM105,000 on December 17, 2012 was for the purchase of two Chevrolet cars and the second of RM164,662 on December 9, 2013 was for the purchase of two more Chevrolet cars.

Naza Quest was the sole distributor for Chevrolet cars until November 14, 2018, when it stopped selling the vehicles.

Naza Group, which owns Naza Quest Sdn Bhd, has said it will cooperate with the authorities.

Yunos told the court today that Naza Quest agreed to the forfeiture “without admitting to criminal or civil liability.”

Meanwhile, the court also allowed the MACC to forfeit RM100,000 from Maran MP Ismail Abdul Muttalib. The Umno lawmaker, who did not contest the suit, was not present in court today.  

Nazlan set November 13 to hear MACC’s suit against the Kedah Umno liaison committee, represented today by Haslina Lily Mohd Redzuan. The hearing dates for other MACC suits were fixed for November 22 (Sarawak United People’s Party)  and November 5 (Habib Jewels).

The MACC is seeking to forfeit RM1,054,019.22 from the Kedah Umno liaison committee, RM188,138.26 from SUPP, and RM100,000 from Habib Jewels.

DPP Allan noted that no third parties were present in court today to claim interest in the money the government sought to forfeit. 

Nazlan reminded the prosecution to name the office-bearers of the respondent organisations as required in Section 9(c) of the Societies Act 1966.

Last month, Pekan Umno lawyer M. Reza Hassan challenged the forfeiture suit by MACC, which sought to recover RM700,000 from the division.

The division had applied to strike out the suit on grounds that it did not meet procedural compliance after the government had failed to identify the office-bearers.

Prosecutors later refiled the suit and named Najib, who is the Pekan MP, as an office-bearer in the Pekan Umno division. Najib’s son Mohd Nizar Najib, who is the division’s Pemuda chief, was also on the list of more than 40 respondents submitted to Nazlan last week.

Other Pekan Umno members also facing action are the division’s deputy chief  Zamri Ramly and Puteri Umno head Sida Tantiana Sariat.

Nazlan set November 15 for the filing of a notice by prosecutors to allow third parties to come forward with any claims to the money owed to the government. The judge is expected to set further hearing dates for the suit. – September 13, 2019.