The UMNO constitution provides for the party president to have a trust account on behalf of the party, said Barisan Nasional strategic communications director Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
He said it was not only Datuk Seri Najib Razak who had a trust account on behalf of UMNO but also the previous UMNO presidents.
"I wish to inform that the UMNO constitution provides for the party president to have a trust account on behalf of the party.
"It is not impossible or surprising if the (current) UMNO president and previous presidents have a trust account for the party," he told reporters after opening the Kubang Pasu UMNO Youth delegates meeting here today.
Rahman, who is urban well-being, housing and local government minister, said the money currently in a trust account under Najib's name as the UMNO presidentwas not from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) or public funds.
According to him, 1MDB money belonged to the people and could not be disbursed to political parties.
"Donations to UMNO from the past up to now have nothing to do with public funds. They are donations from party supporters. If anyone has money and wishes to help the party, that is right of the individual and it is not 1MDB funds.
"The money in the trust account did not come from 1MDB as the opposition had allegedly tried to link it to," he said.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also did not dare to state that the money in the trust account belonged to 1MDB, reinforcing claims that the international media had an agenda against the country, he said.
Asked if there was a need to expose the source of the RM2.6 billion, Rahman said there was no legal requirement for UMNO, PAS, PKR and others to name their donors.
"They (political parties) are not required by law to name their donors so why zero in on UMNO. If you want expose the donors, ask everyone, ask DAP who gave them money," he said.
DAP and other opposition parties, according to him, must explain allegations that they had obtained political funding from Western countries, including currency speculator George Soros and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
"We know that they (the opposition parties) have a lot of money because their election operations are far more sophisticated than UMNO's, believe me," said Abdul Rahman.
Earlier, in his speech, he said that as the urban well-being, housing and local government minister, he was aware of political contributions received by the DAP from certain housing companies.
At the event, he also clarified that no quarters had "robbed or misappropriated" 1MDB funds and this was proven by the company's audited accounts report by an accredited auditing company.
He said 1MDB had invested US$1.9 billion in Petro Saudi International (PSI) and the returns from the investment earned the national company profits of US$488 million.
The total investment in PSI as well as profits acquired by 1MDB, according to him, were included in the national company's audited statement of accounts.
"I do not understand why some still say the 1MDB funds in PSI were lost when the investment generated by 1MDB in PSI is very profitable," he said.
On the alleged "loss" of RM42 billion, he said 1MDB secured loans to finance its acquisition of 15 power stations from independent power producers (IPPs).
"Initially, they said 1MDB lost RM42 billion, then RM27 billion, then it changed to RM16 billion and now RM3 billion. I am confident and sincere in saying that 1MDB was not robbed or cheated of funds," he said.
With assets of about RM51 billion, far bigger than its liabilities, 1MDB was a sound company and its potential was acknowledged by the banks that extended loans to it, he said.
Bernama
Sat Aug 01 2015
RAHMAN DAHLAN: I wish to inform that the UMNO constitution provides for the party president to have a trust account on behalf of the party. - File pic
Air Sungai Pasir keruh, LRA Wangsa Maju dihenti tugas sementara
Langkah kawalan itu bagaimanapun tidak menyebabkan gangguan penyaluran air mentah ke LRA Wangsa Maju.
AWANI Pagi: Perang Israel-Iran: Perang alaf baharu?
Diskusi 8.30 pagi Sabtu bersama Jumaat bersama Pakar Hubungan Antarabangsa, Prof Dr. Ahmad Marthada Mohamed mengenai kemungkinan lebih buruk boleh dijangkakan di rantau Asia Barat selepas Israel bertindak melancarkan peluru berpandu dan membedil bandar Isfahan di Iran semalam.
Buang dua ekor itik kerana bimbang nasib malang
Siok Hui meletakkan kedua-dua itik itu dalam sebuah kotak sebelum ditinggalkan di Hutan Simpan Bukit Timah ketika kejadian pada 2020.
Piala FA Inggeris: Status Erling Haaland masih tanda tanya
Pep Guardiola mendedahkan bahawa pemain berusia 23 tahun itu meminta untuk dikeluarkan tanpa memberi alasan yang kukuh.
Anwar hadir selesai kemelut MPN Sabah
Beliau mempengerusikan perjumpaan tersebut yang dipercayai bagi menyelesaikan kemelut politik PKR di negeri ini.
Piala Asia B-23: Vietnam intai peluang benam Malaysia, layak ke suku akhir
Vietnam mencari peluang untuk memastikan slot ke suku akhir Piala Asia B23 apabila berdepan Malaysia malam ini.
AWANI Pagi: Berita tumpuan & menarik di astroawani.com [20 April 2024]
AWANI Pagi bersama Geegee Ahmad & Azib Zikry membincangkan keperluan pengenalan Skim Kemalangan Bukan Bencana Kerja (SKBBK) di mana Presiden Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC), Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani akan menekankan bahawa langkah proaktif itu adalah untuk melindungi hak-hak pekerja khususnya apabila melibatkan kemalangan jalan raya di luar waktu bekerja.
Lelaki bertindak bakar diri di luar mahkamah New York
Max Azzarello yang berasal dari St. Augustine, Florida, dilaporkan telah diselamatkan dan berada dalam keadaan kritikal.
[TERKINI] Ketua Polis Negara paling lama meninggal dunia
Bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tun Mohamed Hanif Omar, meninggal dunia pada usia 85 tahun di kediamannya di Shah Alam pada 2.15 pagi Sabtu.
Pasangan suami isteri tidak sangka dua kali tolak tawaran, masih ada rezeki tunai haji tahun ini
Selepas surat tawaran berada di dalam tangan, dia dan isteri giat membuat persiapan demi memastikan mereka memperoleh haji yang mabrur.
Titah Adendum di bawah kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan - Anwar
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tidak mahu terlibat dengan perbincangan membabitkan titah tambahan berhubung tahanan di rumah membabitkan bekas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Titah Adendum: Sokongan Ahmad Zahid kepada Najib tulus, sejati - Megat Zulkarnain
Sokongan yang dizahirkan Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi terhadap petisyen Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berhubung Titah Adendum YDP Agong mengenai tahanan rumah, tulus dan sejati.
Keputusan permohonan Najib mulakan semakan kehakiman cabar kewujudan Titah Adendum 5 Jun
Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur menetapkan 5 Jun untuk memutuskan permohonan kebenaran semakan kehakiman difailkan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak bagi mencabar kewujudan perintah tambahan beliau.
Titah Adendum: Peguam Negara bawa perkara dibangkitkan Tengku Zafrul ke mahkamah
Jabatan Peguam Negara akan membawa perkara berhubung kenyataan yang dibuat oleh Menteri Pelaburan, Perdagangan dan Industri, Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz kepada perhatian pihak Mahkamah.
Zafrul dapatkan nasihat undang-undang mohon fail afidavit, betulkan kesilapan fakta
Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz akan membuat permohonan kepada Mahkamah Tinggi untuk meminta kebenaran bagi memfailkan afidavitnya untuk memperbetulkan beberapa kesilapan fakta.
Zahid Hamidi 'saksi kritikal', sokong dakwaan Najib mengenai kewujudan Titah Adendum
Timbalan Perdana Menteri yang juga Presiden UMNO itu menyokong dakwaan berkenaan menerusi afidavit yang difailkan di Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur pada 9 April lalu.
Kes Najib cabar kewujudan Titah Adendum, dijalankan secara dalam kamar
Muhammad Shafee memaklumkan kepada mahkamah, supaya prosiding kes Najib itu dijalankan secara dalam kamar memandangkan terdapat isu sensitif.
Mahkamah Rayuan tetapkan 20 Ogos untuk dengar rayuan Najib gugurkan hakim
Tarikh itu ditetapkan hari ini susulan pengurusan kes di hadapan penolong kanan pendaftar Mahkamah Rayuan Nurul Azrina Mohamed Yusof.
Disekat dari ke luar negara, tetapi tidak ditahan - Bekas Pengarah SRC
Shahrol memberitahu beliau tidak ditahan pihak berkuasa berkaitan urus niaga syarikat itu, namun disekat daripada ke luar negara.
'Saya tidak tahu apa-apa mengenai hubungan Zeti-Jho Low' - Bekas peguam 1MDB
Bekas peguam 1MDB Jasmine Loo Ai Swan memberitahu mahkamah tidak tahu mengenai sebarang hubungan perniagaan antara suami Zeti dan Jho Low.