KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The government will appeal against a recent appellate court decision that upheld a High Court’s ruling that dismissed the government’s forfeiture of RM192.9 million supposedly originating from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, said Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun.
The AG was quoted in a report by Free Malaysia Today (FMT) affirming the AG’s Chambers’ (AGC) decision, as the prosecutors in the case, to appeal the decision and bring it up with the Federal Court.
“Yes. We will be filing an appeal,” Idrus was quoted saying in the report today, which included how September 17 would be the deadline for the prosecution to file their appeal.
The report added that the AGC will be waiting for the full written grounds of last week’s decision before submitting their petition outlining the supposed errs in law and facts committed by the Court of Appeal.
On September 2, a three-judge bench at the Court of Appeal dismissed the government’s application to overturn a High Court ruling that struck out their forfeiture suit against Umno, Wanita MCA, and seven other parties.
The Appellate Court ruled that High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan did not err in his judgment to dismiss the initial forfeiture suit by the government, which had sought to seize the cash given to the recipients by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said to have part of siphoned 1MDB funds.
It was ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the funds actually originated from 1MDB, and how recipients of the cash had no knowledge or no reason to suspect the monies from Najib were proceeds from unlawful activities.
On June 19, the High Court had dismissed the government’s application to forfeit RM192,965,413.61 belonging to Umno; Wanita MCA (RM300,000); Perano, a company that sells hijabs, and Binsabi Sdn Bhd which supplies tents, involved RM337,634.78 and RM827,250 respectively; Habib Jewels Sdn Bhd (RM100,000); K&Z Enterprise Sdn Bhd (RM138,359.60); Kedah Umno Liaison Committee (RM1.05 million) and Hattatex Trading (RM111,590).
