Bank accounts of 408 parties, NGOs frozen

PETALING JAYA: The task force probing the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal reveals that 408 bank accounts of political parties and NGOs, with over RM1.1bil in them, have been frozen.

There is suspicion that 81 individuals and 55 companies linked to the frozen accounts received embezzled and misappropriated funds from the troubled state investment arm.

“It also involved over 900 transactions made between March 2011 and September 2015,” the task force said in a statement yesterday.

The task force did not dismiss the possibility of more bank accounts linked to 1MDB being frozen.

“All bank accounts were frozen in accordance with the law,” it said, adding that the accounts were not frozen to target any quarters.

The task force said detailed investigations were currently underway to ascertain the level of involvement of all quarters.

It also denied freezing Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation’s bank account, following public speculation that TAFF was linked to 1MDB.

“The said foundation has nothing to do with the ongoing 1MDB investigations,” the statement read.

“We urge all quarters not to link the issue with the 1MDB probe.”

On June 30, TAFF founder and patron Tengku Puan Pahang Tunku Azizah Maimunah Iskandariah expressed disappointment that the foundation’s bank account was frozen without prior notification.