Move to strike out Umno’s RM116m suit
KUALA LUMPUR: The police and the government will file an application to strike out a suit by Umno public officer Datuk Seri Abd Rauf Yusoh to reclaim RM116.7 million in various currencies that were seized by police from properties linked to former party president and prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
Federal counsel Mohammad Sallehuddin Md Ali, representing police and the government, which were named as defendants in the suit, said the application was made based on grounds of locus standi.
“The defendants will also apply for a stay of the proceedings before the coming case management, and the court set Nov 1 for further case management,” he told reporters after the case came up for mention before High Court deputy registrar Rumaizah Baharom.
Abd Rauf’s lawyer, Datuk Hariharan Tara Singh, confirmed the matter and said the court ordered the defendants to file their affidavits-in-reply and defence statements.
He said the plaintiff had also applied for disclosure of documents from Bukit Aman Commercial Criminal Investigation Department (CCID) Director Datuk Seri Amar Singh (named the third defendant in the suit) on the seizure at Tower B, Pavilion Residences, Jalan Raja Chulan on May 17.
The documents requested included a copy of the police report that became the basis for the seizure of the money, copy of the list of money that was seized and their pictures, as well as a rough sketch of where the money was found.
The suit was filed on Sept 21 and the defendants named were Bukit Aman CCID officers, namely Deputy Director (Intelligence/Operation) SAC Datuk Mohd Sakri Arifin, ACP R. Rajagopal and Amar Singh, as well as the inspector-general of police and the government.
In the statement of claim, Abd Rauf said the search and seizure conducted on May 17 was unlawful.