Cops hunting Usno Baru member who ran off with GE14 deposit money

KOTA KINABALU: The police are hunting for the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO Baru) member who ran off with RM 870,000 meant for the party's nomination day deposits.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Ramli Din said on Sunday (April 29) that a report was lodged about this on Saturday (April 28).

According to the facts of the case, Usno Baru supreme council member John Kisil had said that the party president had handed over all the money to a member and that this member was supposed to hand it out to candidates on nomination day.

However, the member did not turn up to meet the Usno Baru president, other members and their lawyers when they turned up at the Election Commission (EC) office here at about 2.30pm on Saturday.

It is learnt that the EC had allowed the party up to 11.59pm to make the payment for all their candidates, but the party was unable to do so.

As such, only the candidates for the Merotai and Balung state seats can contest in the election as they managed to come up with their own deposits.

Usno Baru was supposed to contest all 60 state seats and 26 parliament seats,  including the federal territory of Labuan.

Meanwhile, a source in the party said that members had gone to the suspects Kota Belud house to get him to return the deposit following the incident.

"He had promised to return the money by nomination day, but did not," said the source.

Before Usno Baru, Usno was founded by Tun Mustapha, the third Chief Minister of Sabah before the party was deregistered by the Registrar of Societies in 1996.

The party came to power in 1967 and ruled the State until 1975. In 1976, Usno was defeated by Berjaya in the state election.