Anwar Ibrahim has details on the RM90 million Umno paid PAS before the 14th general election and he knows who received the money.
The PKR president said although the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had said no money from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) had been channelled into the party’s coffers, investigations were still going on by the commission.
“The MACC answer is that no money has been traced from 1MDB to PAS. The accusation is not 1MDB money but RM90 million from Umno being channelled into PAS. That is still being investigated.
“I have specific details and who received the money. I have seen the accounts. But I will not say anything now. Give it some time. This matter has not been closed,” he told students during a Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia dialogue in Nilai, Negri Sembilan last night.
The Port Dickson MP said this while answering a student who had complained about politicians who raised issues and made allegations on the campaign trail but afterwards went silent and gave the example of the allegation that PAS receive RM90 million from Umno.
MACC is currently investigating PAS donors and supporters over the RM90 million the Islamist party allegedly received from Umno between the last two general elections. Both parties were loosely allied in the May 9 elections last year.
MACC’s initial investigations showed no direct money trail from the bank accounts of Umno to PAS, nor any transaction between the two parties’ members.
Last February, the prime minister-in-waiting, while campaigning during the Semenyih by-election had said PAS had shown bank statements that the Islamist party had paid RM1.4 million to Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown as settlement in its suit against her.
The party had initially sued Rewcastle-Brown for libel in London for claiming in Sarawak Report that Umno had paid PAS RM90 million for the party’s support in GE14.
The matter was eventually settled out of court and the RM1.4 million has been confirmed by Sarawak Report as settlement for the suit.
“I have the bank statements. I have blanked it out because I don’t want reporters to take any pictures yet. I want to wait for PAS to deny it,” said Anwar on the campaign trail during the Semenyih by-election.
“The date February 19, 2019, from PAS to Clare Rewcastle-Brown, RM1.422 million paid. Paying to someone who slanders us? No.
“If I am wrong, sue me. I am Anwar Ibrahim, I will not say it if I don’t have the facts,” he said.
Anwar told the students the RM1.4 million payment by PAS to Rewcastle-Brown was proof that the party had been defeated in its case against Sarawak Report.
“They told PAS members they had won the case but the court decision is that (PAS president) Abdul Hadi (Awang) had agreed to pay RM1.4 million to Rewcastle-Brown.
“When I said this they said I was lying so I showed the documents. The case was withdrawn because there was payment,” he said.
However, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the party had never paid Rewcastle-Brown, despite Hadi saying both sides had agreed to settle the suit on confidential conditions. – TMI