[UPDATED] Azam Baki: RM20mil sukuk funds for Klang Valley highway project misused for gambling

KUALA LUMPUR: At least RM20 million from sukuk funds meant for a Klang Valley highway project was misappropriated, graft busters found.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the transactions were discovered through further investigations into the case.
"I have been briefed by my investigation officers that more than RM20 million may have been spent on gambling activities.
"We also found 300 bottles of luxury alcoholic beverages were found in a storage facility," he said when contacted today.
He said they were still tracing assets within the country and abroad which will be frozen or seized to facilitate further investigations.
Azam added that to date, 45 witnesses have had their statements recorded, but as of yesterday, the Tan Sri being investigated is still receiving medical treatment at a private hospital.
On Sunday, the MACC seized assets and froze bank accounts totalling RM85.6 million in its investigation involving a Tan Sri over the misappropriation of sukuk funds meant for highway construction in the Klang Valley.
Sukuk funds are proceeds from shariah-compliant bonds used to finance specific projects without involving interest.
Among the seized items were 14 personal accounts containing RM4.5 million, eight company accounts containing RM33 million, and RM7.65 million of luxury vehicles.
Other seized items included handbags worth RM3 million, luxury watches worth RM7 million, and properties valued at RM24.5 million.
The MACC suspects that the sukuk funds amounting to hundreds of millions of ringgit channelled to a company owned by the Tan Sri were misused for personal gain and were not used for the intended financing of the related highway projects.
It was also reported that the MACC seized various assets, including handbags, jewellery, luxury vehicles, watches, cash, and luxury residences, with a total estimated value of about RM32 million belonging to the individual involved in the case.
During the operation, the MACC discovered a storage room containing various types of luxury alcoholic beverages at a residence valued at approximately RM3 million, believed to be linked to money laundering activities.
Last month, it was reported that four people, including a Datuk Seri, were detained on suspicion of submitting false claims amounting to about RM360 million.
All suspects, comprising three men and one woman aged between their 50s and 70s, were detained while giving statements at the MACC office.
The four suspects are believed to have submitted false claims amounting to about RM360 million using sukuk funds in a highway construction project in the Klang Valley valued at about RM1.3 billion between 2016 and 2017.

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