DAP lodges report against BN over RM1.5bil

PUTRAJAYA: Two DAP MPs have lodged a report with the Election Commission (EC) over claims that Barisan Nasional spent RM1.5bil in the 13th General Election.

Tanjong MP Ng Wei Aik and Rasah MP Teo Kok Seong said the alleged amount violated Section 19 (1) of the Election Offences Act 1954, which states that a maximum of RM200,000 can be spent by a party on a parliamentary seat and RM100,000 on a state seat.

“In GE13, Barisan contested 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats. The maximum it can spend in total for all those seats would be RM94.9mil – RM1.5bil is 15 times more than the maximum.

“We hope that the EC will investigate Barisan including its chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,” Ng told reporters at the commission’s headquarters here, yesterday.

Ng and Teo’s report referred to a claim by former Kedah mentri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir at an Umno grassroots function in Kelantan that Najib had told a meeting of Umno liaison chiefs that RM1.5bil was spent for the election.

Mukhriz’s claim was later confirmed by Malacca chief minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron, who was reported to have admitted that Barisan had indeed spent RM1.5bil for GE13.