Bench chairman Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil informed lawyers that the appeal hearing would be fixed for another date. Court officials later said the matter would continue on May 27.
“The proceeding is adjourned to another date due to an emergency,” Karim said.
However, no reason was given for the hearing to be stopped suddenly.
Others on the bench were Hadhariah Syed Ismail and Abu Bakar Jais.
Earlier, lawyer Syed Azimal Amir Syed Abu Bakar, appearing for Pahang Umno liaison committee, submitted that the High Court judge was wrong in allowing the MACC to forfeit close to RM2.5 million.
On Jan 9, 2020, the Kuala Lumpur High Court allowed MACC’s application to forfeit the money from Umno Pahang as it was adjudged to be money from 1MDB. The High Court in late 2019 and early last year, however, dismissed MACC’s forfeiture applications in eight other cases.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi, who is the respondent in the Pahang Umno case but the appellant in the other eight cases, then made his submission.
The eight cases involve Habib Jewels (RM100,000), Kedah Umno (RM1.05 million), Umno headquarters (RM192.6 million), Wanita MCA (RM300,000), Binsabi Sdn Bhd (RM777,250), Perano Sdn Bhd (RM337,734) Hattatex Trading (RM111,590), and K & Z Enterprise Sdn Bhd (RM138,359).
Khoo Guan Huat, who represented Habib Jewels, and Thevini Nayagam, who appeared for Perano and K & Z, had completed their submissions when the bench broke for recess.
Karim then halted the proceedings.
On June 21, 2019, then MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya said the anti-graft body had filed civil forfeiture applications against 41 individuals and entities to recover RM270 million allegedly transferred from former prime minister Najib Razak’s account.
Latheefa said the forfeiture applications were filed under Section 56 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. She said the biggest recipients of the money were Umno divisions and branches which had received a total of RM212 million.
Some of the recipients have since returned the money to the MACC.