RM85.6mil in assets seized so far in highway sukuk fund misuse, says Azam

Free Malaysia Today

a day ago

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said hundreds of millions in sukuk funds were channelled to a Tan Sri's company and later misused for personal interests rather than the intended highway project.
KUALA LUMPUR : The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has seized and frozen assets and bank accounts worth an estimated RM85.6 million as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of sukuk funds linked to a Klang Valley highway project.
The probe centres on a concessionaire with the honorific title Tan Sri, suspected of diverting financing for the project for personal use, Bernama reported.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the seizures included 14 individual bank accounts totalling RM4.5 million and eight company accounts amounting to RM33 million.
Also confiscated were luxury vehicles (costing RM7.65 million), designer handbags (worth RM3 million), jewellery (valued at RM6 million), high-end watches (estimated to cost RM7 million) and properties valued at RM24.5 million.
'We believe hundreds of millions in sukuk funds were channelled to the contractor's company, owned by the Tan Sri, and later misused for personal interests rather than the intended highway project,' Azam said when contacted.
The funds were allegedly transferred to multiple entities, including proxy companies and the personal account of the Tan Sri's wife, and used to acquire assets such as real estate, luxury vehicles and goods, and to fund gambling activities.
Azam added that the money may also have been used to finance local and overseas property purchases and investments, which were concealed through layered transactions designed to obscure their origin.
As of now, investigators have not yet recorded a statement from the Tan Sri as he has been admitted to a hospital.
'We are reviewing the acquisition trail of these assets and obtaining the relevant bank documents, including those tied to the suspect, to support our analysis,' he said.
To date, 45 people have had their statements recorded, with another 30 to 50 witnesses expected to be called in. Family members of the Tan Sri may also be summoned.
Earlier media reports noted that MACC had seized various luxury items, including handbags, jewellery, watches, vehicles, cash and high-end residences, worth around RM32 million, believed to be linked to the same individual.
During a Thursday operation, officers also discovered a storage room stocked with luxury alcoholic beverages valued at about RM3 million, suspected to be tied to money laundering activities.
All assets were seized under the MACC Act 2009 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 for further investigation.