Depositing funds into private accounts not forbidden: Khairy

CYBERJAYA: There are currently no laws regulating political funding in Malaysia and neither is depositing it into a party official's private accounts not forbidden, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar (pix) said.
He said, political funds donated to Umno can be deposited into the party's official accounts or into a party trustee's personal accounts.
"It (political funding deposits) can vary, it can go into the party's account or into a personal account as long as the personal account is held in trust for the party," he said after launching NBL Asia Sdn Bhd in Gem In Mall today.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption commission (MACC) on Monday said that the RM2.6 billion in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's accounts were contributions from "donors".
Last month, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the money, close to US$700 million (RM2.6 billion), were deposited in Najib's personal accounts through proxies, two months before the 13th General Election in 2013.
The Prime Minister claimed innocence and threatened legal action against WSJ for its report.
Khairy said the donations are presumably for political purposes and it is the norm for political parties from both divides to receive funds from their supporters to bankroll their activities.
"I believe all political parties in Malaysia accept donations from supporters and allies, and in Malaysia we do not have any laws that prohibit political parties from receiving funds from supporters, so the question if it's a legal thing to do does not arise," he said.