KUALA LUMPUR: The National Patriot Association (Patriot) today called for an investigation into the claim in a Sarawak Report article that the RM90 million allegedly paid by UMNO to PAS leaders could be from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds.
Patriot president Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji urged the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to start investigations and called on anyone who had information on the matter to lodge a report with the authorities.
“Even if no report is made, the police and the MACC should launch the investigations on their own,” he said in a statement.
Mohamed Arshad said Malaysians wanted to know the truth behind the out-of-court settlement initiated by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang after he had filed a defamation suit against Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown for the RM90mil alleged payment.
He said dropping the suit did not mean the case was closed.
“Malaysians demand to know the truth in the case because, although it will not be adjudicated, (Rewcastle-) Brown’s allegation that RM90 million was paid to PAS leaders remains,” he said.
He added there was an audio recording of PAS Central Committee member Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz mentioning about receiving RM2 million from UMNO, which was furnished as evidence by Rewcastle-Brown and was not contested by Abdul Hadi.
He said Malaysians wanted to know the truth because the money paid to the PAS leaders allegedly came from 1MDB funds.
Abdul Hadi had filed a defamation suit in the London High Court of Justice after Sarawak Report published the article by Rewcastle-Brown on Aug 6, 2016.
Earlier this month, Abdul Hadi reportedly settled the case out of court and Rewcastle-Brown subsequently withdrew her counterclaims. --Bernama