KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — The three Penang-based media associations that admitted to receiving RM150,000 funnelled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) probably already know what to do, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.

However, he added that they can contact his ministry for assistance if they are still unsure of the procedures to return the sovereign investment fund’s money said to have been misappropriated by Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the government.

"I feel that at that time they didn’t know the source of this money, but after knowing, I feel they know what they should do.

"There are many channels for them to return the 1MDB money and they should contact MOF to find out the process,” he was quoted by national newswire Bernama as telling reporters in Butterworth, Penang.

He noted that each of the three were said to have received RM50,000.

Lim, who is also Bagan MP, was responding to statements by a Penang-based journalists’ unions, including the Penang Press Club, that it had received money in 2013 from the mysterious 1Malaysia-Penang Welfare Club, which organised many pro-Barisan Nasional activities in the run up to the 13th general election that year.

The Journalists Union of North Malaya and Penang Chinese Newspaper Reporters and Photographers Association (Pewaju) were the other two journalists’ groups said to have received the money.

Last year, Pewaju reportedly said the RM50,000 was donated to two charitable causes in 2015.