LAWYERS of Barisan Nasional’s Johor Baru division submitted today that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had wrongly seized money from its client which had nothing to do with the 1Malaysia Development Bhd financial scandal.

BN wants back the nearly RM1 million which prosecutors are seeking to forfeit.

At the Kuala Lumpur High Court today, its lawyers said although the division did indeed receive RM1.5 million from then BN chairman Najib Razak in 2013, they said the money had been spent on community projects.

“This is not contested in the prosecutor’s affidavit,” said lead counsel Syed Faisal Al-Edros Syed Abdullah Al-Edros, adding that the money the prosecutors sought to confiscate was the sum of several political donations from 2018.

“The burden is on the prosecution to prove that the RM957,000 (that was seized) was from illicit activities,” said co-counsel Syahrul Syazwan Salehin.

“I submit they have failed to do so. They failed to prove conclusively that the money came from the RM1.5 million given in 2013. That money was spent on charitable purposes. The 2018 money is from donations. There is no law that bars political donations.”

Syed Faisal pointed out that Bank Negara had not red flagged the transactions when the money, allegedly from money laundering, was transferred from Najib’s accounts to Johor BN’s.

“It is the responsibility of Bank Negara to raise red flags. They have a compliance department specialising in sniffing out the alleged offences that the prosecution mentioned. If Bank Negara does not have the expertise to determine what is illicit, can more be expected of regular folk?”

Judicial Commissioner Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh set March 25 to deliver his decision. 

Deputy public prosecutor Samihah Rhazali led the prosecution.

Former Johor Bahru MP Shahrir Abdul Samad was among the more than a dozen Johor BN members seated in the public gallery.

MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya had previously said that the commission had filed a civil forfeiture suit under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act against 41 respondents to recover 1MDB-related money totalling RM270 million.

She said the money disbursed to these 41 respondents came from former prime minister Najib’s personal bank account. – February 19, 2020.