SUPP Case Grounded in Law and Facts, DAP Relies on Spin and Dishonesty Says Adam Yii
SUPP Central Publicity and Information Chief Adam Yii said the party position on the long running funding issue is firmly based on law and facts, while Sarawak DAP continues to rely on political spin and deliberate misrepresentation to confuse the public.
He said SUPP, like any political party in Malaysia, relies on donations from its members and the public, and at times also receives funding from its main political coalition partners.
Adam who is also Pujut State Assemblyman said the High Court had previously found former prime minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak guilty in relation to 1MDB funds transferred into his personal account in the early 2010s. However, Sarawak DAP was now attempting to revive an old issue by trying to link a small portion of funds donated by Najib before 2013 to SUPP, while insisting the money must be returned.
He stressed that the donation in question was received before 2013, long before any finding or allegation that the funds were tainted by illegality.
“In 2019, more than six years later, the MACC served a forfeiture notice on SUPP involving RM188,132.26 in the party bank account. By then, the funds received in 2013 had already been fully utilised for party operations, mainly for staff salaries, EPF, SOCSO and tax payments,” he said.
Adam explained that when SUPP received the donation, there was no issue or awareness that the money was linked to any illegal source. He added that the RM188,132.26 subjected to forfeiture in 2019 had no relation whatsoever to the 2013 funds.
According to him, MACC conducted investigations, interviews and was provided with all documents requested to support SUPP position that the RM188,132.26 was not linked to 1MDB. Despite this, MACC proceeded to file an application at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur in 2019 to forfeit the funds.
Adam described the move as a political prosecution by the then federal government led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, with the support of Malaya based DAP.
“As expected, MACC could not prove its case. In July 2020, the High Court dismissed the application. MACC then appealed to the Court of Appeal despite knowing it was a hopeless case, before eventually withdrawing the appeal after several postponements,” he said.
He said significant time and public resources were wasted by the 2018 DAP led federal government in pursuing what he described as a political prosecution using state institutions.
Adam said SUPP had issued numerous press statements throughout the period to clarify that the seized funds had nothing to do with 1MDB and had defended its position in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The dismissal of the case, he added, was well publicised.
“DAP Sarawak leaders including YB Chong and YB Yong were fully aware of the dismissal and the reasons behind it. They know the facts very well, yet they are now trying to revive this issue to score political points by deliberately confusing the public,” he said.
He said Sarawak DAP continues to spin the facts in the hope of misleading those who may not remember the details of a case that dates back more than six years.
“This reflects the level of political maturity, or rather immaturity, of the Sarawak DAP leadership,” Adam said.
He added that instead of being petty and targeting SUPP, DAP should urge its federal leaders in the Madani Government to focus on improving laws governing political donations.
“Political funding reform is one of the key agendas of the Madani Government. As the largest Malaya based party and the backbone of the government with the biggest number of MPs, DAP should channel its energy into genuine reforms to strengthen governance and make Malaysia a better place,” he added.
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