KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 ― Umno supreme council member Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi disclosed today that a part of the US$681 million (RM2.08 billion) cash gift from Saudi Arabia’s royal house to the prime minister in 2013 was used for an election.

Abdul Aziz however did not specify which election the money was used for, instead, saying it was no longer an issue after Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali declared no criminal wrongdoing into investigations of the cash transfers into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s private bank accounts.

“The rest of money was being spent for the election so whatever balance, that's it. Then they returned. I don't see any issues on that,” the deputy transport minister responded to reporters after launching a road safety campaign here ahead of the Chinese New Year festival.

He was asked about the discrepancy of some US$61 million from the amount said to be donated by a Saudi royal and the unutilised sum that was later returned .

But last August, news portal Malaysiakini reported Abdul Aziz saying an anonymous donor had gifted Umno a sum to the tune of RM2.6 billion to help fight the Malaysia’s secular “Jewish-backed” DAP opposition party, which was alleged to be a threat to Islam in the country.

On Tuesday, AG Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali addressed questions surrounding the cash deposits into the PM’s private accounts, saying that a sum totalling US$681 million from the Saudi royal family was transferred in batches between March and April 2013.

Apandi added that investigations showed a sum of US$620 million was returned by Najib in August that same year because “the sum was not utilised”.

The AG then said he would return the investigation papers to the MACC and instruct them to close the cases.

Abdul Aziz added that the AG's announcement also proves that the allegations levelled against the PM were “baseless.”

“Definitely because when the AG made the clarification it shows that everyone knows all allegations by the opposition is baseless, based on assumption,” he said.

But a day after Apandi’s announcement, the MACC said it will refer the AG’s decision to its Operations Review Panel for a review, stirring speculation that the agency disagreed with the AG’s clearance of the prime minister.

The MACC later issued a statement denying this, saying the referral was part of its regular operating procedure.