ALOR SETAR: Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said he was not aware of the transaction of funds linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) into the account of Kedah Umno when he helmed the post of state Umno liaison chairman previously.
Mukhriz who held the post between 2013 and 2016 said matters pertaining to Kedah Umno funds were left completely in the hands of its then treasurer Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.
Abdul Azeez, he said, handled the expenses and distribution of funds to the party's state divisions.
"I am unsure when it (receiving 1MDB funds) happened, yes we needed money for our divisions when I was state Umno chairman. I handed the matter over to the treasurer at the time which was Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim to handle," he said.
"I am not aware of the methods he employed, but we did get allocation to run activities in the divisions," he said at a press conference after launching the 2019 Kedah Youth Festival, here, today.
Mukhriz was asked to comment on the move by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to file civil forfeiture applications against 41 individuals and entities to recover money allegedly transferred from 1MDB.
MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya said they identified the 41 individuals and local entities involved in the transaction, in which Kedah Umno was one of them.
Commenting further, Mukhriz who is also Kedah Menteri Besar said the allocation that Kedah Umno had asked for before did not reach millions and did not involve projects, contracts or others.
"If Umno accepted funds from sources that were illegal, I believe Umno would have to return the money it took and distributed to Kedah Umno and other states," he said.
Previously, when he was in Umno, Mukhriz was appointed as Menteri Besar in May 2013 afterwhich he also held the position of state liaison chairman after Barisan Nasional (BN) managed to regain control of the state in the 13th General Election (GE13).
He stepped down as Menteri Besar in Feb 2016 after a majority of the state's assemblymen decided they had lost confidence in his leadership. He also resigned as state Umno chairman.
He returned to the post as a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) member last year after Pakatan Harapan (PH) defeated BN in the 14th General Election.