SHAH ALAM – Umno is prepared to undergo an audit at any time over questions surrounding the transparency of its RM50 million Solidarity Fund, established to help pay the fine imposed on former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the party had nothing to hide, as all contributions received were channelled through a dedicated account.
"We are ready to be audited at any time because we have nothing to fear.
"From the beginning, we announced that there was only one account and all contributions would go through it. If anyone wants to conduct an audit, they can audit this account.
"We have no problem with that because we can show how transactions, including contributions as small as RM20 from members, take place every minute," he said.
He said this after delivering a Ceramah Gelombang Biru at the Pantai Kundor State Legislative Assembly (DUN) constituency here on Monday.
Also present were Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, BN Pantai Kundor election director Datuk Noor Azman Hassan and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the constituency Datuk Tuminah Kadi.
Commenting further, Asyraf Wajdi said it took almost three months to ensure sufficient contributions were collected before the RM50 million target was achieved.
However, he questioned why certain parties had only raised concerns about audits when the funds were collected by Umno and BN.
"Fairness must be applied. Why is it that when BN and Umno do it, they want an audit, but when DAP did it previously, there was no audit?" he said.
Previously, the collection for the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund, which increased from RM9.25 million to RM50 million within 40 days, sparked questions about the transparency of its funding sources and the monitoring mechanisms governing political donations in the country.
The development also prompted several parties to call for investigations to ensure the contributions received did not involve elements of corruption, money laundering or vested interests.
Among those who raised concerns was Datuk A Kadir Jasin, who said the collection of tens of millions of ringgit within a short period required a more detailed explanation.
He also urged relevant agencies, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Inland Revenue Board (IRB) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), to scrutinise the flow of funds.