BANGI: Aman Palestin Berhad is giving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) three days to release their frozen accounts or a legal suit will be filed.
Its lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali said the non-profit organisation had delivered the letter to the MACC chief commissioner and the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) division director.
“The notice submitted by Aman Palestin has been sent today (yesterday) for the frozen accounts to be cancelled or retracted.
“If (the MACC) fails to do so, legal action will be taken,” he told a press conference at the Aman Palestin headquarters last night.
Rafique said not all 41 accounts frozen by the MACC under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 belonged to Aman Palestin.
“Some of the accounts belonged to strategic partners, board of directors and staff of Aman Palestin,” he said.
On Nov 23, the MACC said more than RM25mil in 41 bank accounts under Aman Palestin was frozen.
Legal threat: Rafique addressing the media in Bangi. With him are Aman Palestin members.
The move was carried out after the MACC conducted an investigation over allegations that Aman Palestin had allegedly misused public donations.
Separately, Rafique said the purported gold bars seized by the MACC were part of investment purposes.
He said Aman Palestin denied allegations that the seized gold bars were used to embezzle the public’s donations.
“According to the company’s constitution, it stipulates that gold bars can be used for investment purposes and it is allowed under the power given to the board of directors.
“The allegations are malicious and false. There are 16 articles that allow the board members of Aman Palestin to invest in various mechanisms.
“It is not wrong and gold is valuable and easy to convert to cash before it can be used as donation funds,” he said.
Rafique said Aman Palestin had conducted their audits in 2021 and the documents could be viewed through the Companies Commission website.
On Sunday, The Star reported that four gold bars were among items seized during a series of raids as graft investigators look into allegations of misappropriation of funds within Aman Palestin.
Sources said the seized gold bars weighed a kilogramme each and were of Grade 999.9.
It is learnt that the raids were carried out on Nov 24 and raiding teams had gone to five locations, including Aman Palestin’s office.
