RAYHAR Travels Sdn Bhd, one of 41 entities names in the government’s civil forfeiture suit to recover funds linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd, today objected to the Kuala Lumpur High Court allowing the gazetting of a notice for third parties with an interest in the suit.

The agency, which handles haj and umrah travel packages, told the court through its lawyer Yunos Shariff that the gazetting amounted to an admission of wrongdoing by the company.

Deputy public prosecutor Nik Haslinie Hashim, however, said that the procedure was merely to allow third parties to come forward and declare their interest in the case.

Nik Haslinie made an application under Section 61(2) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds from Unlawful Activities Act for a date to gazette a notice for interested third parties in the matter.

Yunos then told judicial commissioner Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh that he needed more time to consult with Rayhar Travel’s management, who are currently in Saudi Arabia.

Sharir set August 1 to hear the prosecution’s application and to make a decision on allowing or disallowing the gazetting of the third party notice.

Rayhar Travels is the first among 41 respondents to object to the notice for third parties to declare their interest in the civil forfeiture suits.

The 41 entities and individuals were named in a civil forfeiture suit by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission last month to reclaim RM270 million in funds linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

Others named included Umno and other political parties, foundations and companies.

The MACC had said all the funds disbursed to the 41 recipients had come from former prime minister Najib Razak’s personal bank account.

Besides Rayhar Travels, others named in the suit who came up for case management today were Kelantan Umno, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Yayasan Tun Hussein Onn and IPG Mediabrand Sdn Bhd.

As these four had no objections, Shahrir allowed the prosecution’s application to gazette a third-party notice.

The commissioner then set August 5 for case management. 

Two other in the forfeiture suit, Akademi Pemuda, and Sim Sai Hoon, are seeking new lawyers to represent them and July 18 was set for case management.

Sim Sao Hoon, also known as Rita Sim, is a witness in Najib’s ongoing SRC International trial. She is the director of the research firm Centre for Strategic Engagement Sdn Bhd. 

She had testified that she received RM300,000 from Najib to carry out analysis on Chinese dailies from 2014 to 2015. – July 5, 2019.