Named in 1MDB civil forfeiture, Sabah Umno, PBRS agree to cooperate

KOTA KINABALU: Two Sabah political entities, which are among the 41 respondents in a civil forfeiture suit to recover RM270mil related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), have expressed readiness to cooperate.

Sabah Umno chief Datuk Bung Moktar Radin said their legal team would act on the matter once the papers were served.

"We will discuss with our lawyers and see how best to handle it.

"Personally, I am not sure of the details, and we will let our lawyers handle it," he said when contacted.

Bung Mokhtar, who took over the state party leadership from Tan Sri Musa Aman, said that their accounts involving over RM1mil have been frozen since Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations began last year.

Meanwhile, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said: "PBRS will wait for the civil action from MACC. The party will cooperate where necessary."

Besides the two political entities, Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam, the  federal land and cooperative development minister during Tun Abdullah Badawi's premiership, was also amongst those listed, but could not be contacted.

Sabah-based Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Datuk Chin Su Phin said the party had not been served with any court papers on the matter. 

“I can only comment once we are served with the relevant court documents,” he said.

Sabah Umno, PBRS and LDP were all part of the Barisan Nasional coalition before the new government took over last year, which saw all of them leaving the pact.