THE Kuala Lumpur High Court has given the government seven days to refile its forfeiture suit against Pekan Umno, failing which it will be struck out.

The suit is brought by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), seeking to recover funds linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali made the order for the refilling this morning as the suit filed in June was flawed, failing to name Pekan Umno’s office-bearer.

“The current suit failed to identify the office bearer. The prosecution is given liberty to file an amended notice within seven days. Failing which, the application will be struck out.”

Deputy public prosecutor Allan Suman Pillai told Nazlan that the suit will be filed by Tuesday.

Nazlan then set September 6 for the filing as he has other cases on Tuesday.

The government is seeking to recover RM700,000 that was allegedly given to Pekan Umno from 1MDB-linked funds.

However, the division’s lawyer M. Reza Hassan had said Pekan Umno refused to settle amount sought by the anti-graft agency.

Pekan Umno has also applied to strike out the suit the grounds that it failed to fulfil procedural compliance.

Reza said the government failed to identify the office bearers in the suit, thereby nullifying the prosecution’s case.

The division is headed by former prime minister Najib Razak, who is also Pekan MP.

However, Nazlan dismissed the application to strike out the case entirely on the grounds that non-compliance by MACC did not justify that.

“Having considered the facts of the case. The non-compliance does not justify the striking out,” he said today.

MACC filed civil forfeiture suits against 41 individuals and entities in a bid to recover RM270 million of 1MDB-linked funds.

Last week, two entities and an individual named in the suit have agreed to return RM1.2 million.

Allan told the court that Yayasan Rahah, Naza Quest Auto Sdn Bhd and Umno member Ibrahim Awang Ismail agreed to settle.

The government had sought to forfeit RM839,488.82 from Yayasan Rahah, RM269,662 from Naza Quest and RM100,000 from Ibrahim.

Nazlan set September 6 to record their consent judgments for the foundation and Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, the court set September 13 for consent judgment of Naza Quest Auto, which previously stated that the funds received in 2012 and 2013 were payment for four Chevrolet cars. – August 30, 2019.