Widow questions MACC naming late husband in 1MDB suit

Lawyers representing the wife of the late Abdul Manan Ismail – one of 41 respondents in the MACC's 1MDB-linked asset forfeiture suit – object to the prosecution seeking to replace the respondent's name with that of their client.

Rohizah Ahmad objects to her name replacing her late husband's as his direct beneficiary, because the prosecution was fully aware of his passing when the suit to recover RM270,000 in 1MDB-linked funds was filed.

"In terms of procedure, in terms of process, it is not right. In short, the MACC is aware that the respondent has passed away," her lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz told reporters outside the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

"So why didn't they directly name his direct beneficiaries? Why do they still proceed to name the deceased as a respondent?

"We have applied for a postponement to give time for us to file our affidavits in response and other objection notices."

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High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan had earlier set Aug 19 to continue hearing the MACC's application and the respondent's objections.

He also set Aug 19 to mention a separate application by Rohizah's lawyers for her to intervene in the suit.

Lawyer Shahrudin Ali argued on behalf of Rohizah that the application was made as his client, without being named as a respondent, does not even have any standing to respond to the prosecution's affidavits in the ongoing case.

A two-term Umno Paya Besar MP, Manan passed away in February last year. 

The MACC filed its suit last month to recover funds distributed from the personal AmBank account of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.