KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today allowed the prosecution to gazette a notice to summon all third parties claiming any interest in the more than RM2.4 million seized from the Pahang Umno liaison committee that was allegedly linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Judge Datuk Rozana Ali Yusof made the ruling after allowing an application by deputy public prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), to obtain a court order to gazette a third-party notice.
“Today is set for the hearing of the application to publish a notice to third parties under Section 61 (2) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
“The prosecution also requested a two-month period to gazette the notice,” she said.
Lawyer Mohd Shukri Ahmad Mansor, representing the Pahang Umno liaison committee, as the respondent, did not object and informed the court that they needed time to file an affidavit.
The court set Oct 18 for mention.
The gazetting process of the notice was to enable the interested parties to appear before the court on the day, to be decided later, to provide reasons on why the assets should not be forfeited by the government.
MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya recently announced that the MACC had filed civil forfeiture suits against 41 individuals and entities to recover some RM270 million related to 1MDB.
Latheefa said the move was carried out in accordance with the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 where the commission believed that the monies were transferred to the 41 respondents from former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s bank account. - Bernama
