KUALA LUMPUR – Assets totalling RM114 million, seized from Pavilion Residences on May 17, 2018, have been returned to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Umno.
This comes after the prosecution decided to not file for an appeal in the forfeiture suit after it was dismissed by high court judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin.
Deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin told Astro Awani that the assets had been returned on June 17.
“The assets have been returned to Najib via a representative as the prosecution decided against filing an appeal.”
Jamil on March 11 allowed the application by Najib’s lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, and Umno’s counsel, Datuk Hariharan Tara Singh, to strike out the affidavit.
Jamil, in his brief decision, said the affidavit was filed during the submission stage and would cause prejudice to the third-party claimants, namely Najib and Umno.
“It was filed after all of the other affidavits were filed and without leave of the court.
“Accordingly, I rule that the affidavit cannot be used and I will not consider the affidavit in support. Shafee may continue with the submission,” said the judge at the hearing of the government’s application to forfeit RM114,164,393.44 and jewellery seized from premises owned by Obyu Holdings Sdn Bhd.
The affidavit in question is crucial to the prosecution's 1MDB-linked forfeiture suit against Obyu Holdings.
On February 10, the prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi, contended that Umno has a secret unaudited account to receive political donations, which they argued is an offence under the Societies Act 1966.
In the suit’s written submission, the prosecution claimed that this is because some of Umno’s leaders denied having knowledge about the funds.
Obyu Holdings is owned by Tan Sri Bustari Yusof, the younger brother of former works minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and a close associate of Najib.
The prosecution filed the forfeiture application against Obyu Holdings to forfeit the items including 11,991 units of jewellery, 401 watches, 16 other accessories, 234 pairs of eyewear, and 306 handbags, as well as cash in various denominations amounting to RM114,164,393.44.
The money and jewellery were seized by the authorities for allegedly being linked to the 1MDB fund scandal.
On September 3, 2019, it was reported that Najib was among several third parties seeking to stake a claim in the forfeiture suit involving cash and jewellery, among others, seized by the authorities from Pavilion Residences in Kuala Lumpur in 2018.
The other third-party claimants in the forfeiture suit are Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Umno, and a Lebanese jeweller, Global Royalty Trading SAL. – The Vibes, August 5, 2021
