POLITICAL parties could be barred from receiving foreign funding if a proposal by the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC) is accepted by the government.

The proposal is currently being drawn up and will be handed to the cabinet for approval, said GIACC head Abu Kassim Mohamad.

“That was discussed and we gave our opinion on it and it will be tabled to the government,” Abu Kassim said after the launch of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) yesterday.

The prohibition of foreign donations is among the proposals submitted to the cabinet before the law is drafted for tabling.

At the height of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, former prime minister Najib Razak said the RM2.6 billion deposited into his bank accounts came from Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis have since denied donating funds to Najib, who now faces 42 criminal charges related to the scandal.

Abu Kassim said GIACC is still finalising parts of the draft law with political parties to obtain their buy-in before the law is tabled.

“We are almost there. Just a few more meetings and we can submit the proposal to the cabinet before it’s sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for drafting,” said the former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief.

The political funding law is one of the 115 initiatives set out in the NACP to ensure greater transparency as to how political parties can obtain funding.

In the run-up to the last elections, component parties in Barisan Nasional allegedly received funding from questionable sources. Among them were payments directed from the scandal-ridden 1MDB.

MCA, for instance, allegedly received RM16.5 million ahead of the last general election. – January 30, 2019.