Report: Johor Umno vans seized for money laundering probe

Police have confiscated Johor Umno’s entire fleet of 27 “Skuad Sayang” vans yesterday, according to a report by the Malay Mail.

The report said the vans, which are normally used by Wanita Umno for its community programmes, were seized to facilitate investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act (AMLA) 2001.

The police were acting on a court order, the report said, and the vans that had been distributed among the state’s 26 Umno divisions and the state party headquarters were surrendered to the authorities yesterday.

It said Johor Umno chief Hasni Mohammad confirmed the matter.

“We (Johor Umno) were told to surrender the Skuad Sayang vans to the police to facilitate investigations under AMLA 2001.

“We were given the confiscation notice yesterday and have so far cooperated with the authorities where most of the vans have been collected to be surrendered,” he was quoted as saying.

However, he was reportedly unable to confirm whether the seizure is related to the ongoing investigations on 1MDB, SRC International, or former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Hasni reportedly told the Malay Mail that the party has no issues cooperating with the authorities, and the episode will not put a dent on Johor Umno’s morale.

However, he said he hopes that the confiscation is not a form of political vendetta.

Malaysiakini is contacting the police for confirmation. It is understood that the operation was carried out by Bukit Aman.