KOTA KINABALU: A group of incensed Usno Baru leaders are seeking justice against the party's so-called "financial adviser" who allegedly made away with RM870,000 that was allocated for the deposit payments of its election contenders.
The group claimed that the adviser co-founded Usno Baru.
Tuaran division chief Sharudin Sukimin alleged that the man had refused to pass the money to the candidates until the president and secretary-general step down from their posts.
It is not known what caused the conflict between them.
Usno's Tenom division chief Norlea Yuntong said that the candidates felt "cheated" by the party's leadership.
"We want to clear our names. We have been accused by people in our constituency of withdrawing our candidacy after receiving the allocated deposit payment.
"But the reality is we haven't seen a cent of the money, and had to fork out funds from our own pockets (to run in the election)," she said at a press conference here Monday (April 30).
Usno Baru, which managed to register in time for the election, was harbouring the hope of contesting in all 60 state and 26 parliamentary seats in Sabah and also Labuan.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Ramli Din had confirmed receiving a report on the missing funds.
According to the police report citing Usno Baru supreme member John Kisil, 62, their party president had handed the money on Friday morning (April 27) to a member who was supposed to give the money to their candidates.
Only two Usno Baru candidates managed to come up with their own deposits.
They are contesting in Merotai and Balung.
Prior to the birth of Usno Baru, Usno was founded by Tun Mustapha Harun, the third chief minister of Sabah.
However, it was deregistered by the Registrar of Societies in 1996.
The party had come to power in 1967 and ruled Sabah until 1976.
It was defeated by Berjaya in the state elections in 1976.
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