THE Kuala Lumpur High Court has allowed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to name Johor Baru Barisan Nasional office-bearers in a RM677,872.55 forfeiture suit against the former ruling pact’s state chapter.

Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali told deputy public prosecutor Allan Suman Pillai to amend the suit to comply with Section 9(c) of the Societies Act 1966.

Johor Baru BN, represented by Syahrul Syazwan Salehin today, previously applied to strike out the suit on the grounds that it was not in compliance with procedures after the government failed to identify the office-bearers.

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

Allan said no third party was present in court this morning to claim interest in the money that the government is seeking to forfeit.

Nazlan said today’s ruling is in line with one made on August 30, when he ruled that office-bearers must be named in a forfeiture suit against an entity.

He set October 18 for case mention, for the prosecution to inform the court on the amendment.

Last month, Pekan Umno lawyer M. Reza Hassan challenged the anti-graft agency’s forfeiture suit, in which MACC seeks to recover RM700,000 from the division, with the argument that the office-bearer was not named.

Prosecutors then refiled the suit, naming Najib Razak, who is Pekan MP, as office-bearer of the Umno division.

Najib’s son, Mohd Nizar Najib, who is the division’s Umno Youth chief, is also on the list of more than 40 respondents submitted to the court. – September 27, 2019.