SIBU, Dec 28 — Funds received from the then Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2013 were not derived from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) said today.

The Sarawak-based party added that it had been fully investigated over the issue, which had also been resolved through the courts, The Star reported.

“At the time the donation was received, there was no indication or awareness that the funds were linked to any illegality,” SUPP said, noting that the donation came before any court findings involving Najib or 1MDB.

The clarification follows a Facebook post yesterday by DAP’s Pending assemblyman Violet Yong who had asked SUPP to return the RM1 million received from Najib, claiming the money came from 1MDB funds rather than an Arab donation.

SUPP said that political parties in Malaysia rely on donations from members, the public, and occasionally coalition partners to fund their operations.

It added that in 2019, more than six years after the donation had been utilised, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) issued a notice to forfeit RM188,132.26 from SUPP’s bank account, which was unrelated to the 2013 donation.

“Despite this, MACC proceeded to file a forfeiture application at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur in 2019,” SUPP said.

It added that the High Court dismissed the application in July 2020 after failing to prove any link to 1MDB.

SUPP emphasised that the outcome of the case was widely reported at the time, and leaders from Sarawak DAP were fully aware of the court’s decision and the facts surrounding the case.

The party expressed disappointment that the issue has resurfaced, and claimed the issue resurfaced for political gain.

The SUPP called on lawmakers to prioritise meaningful political funding reforms in line with the current government’s agenda.