KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 — Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng asserted that the Barisan Nasional government had frozen accounts under investigation for longer than Umno’s has been in suspension.

He was responding to Datuk Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) who asked about the status of Umno’s bank account that was frozen as part of the 1MDB investigation.

Ahmad noted that the Court of Appeal previously ruled that suspensions under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA) were limited to 90 days.

“However, what happened to Umno, for example, has exceeded 90 days and it makes it difficult for us to pay salaries of Umno workers at the Umno headquarters. This is a cruel deed done by the PH (Pakatan Harapan) government,” Ahmad said.

Lim (PH-Bagan) then countered with his assertion but added that the federal government was working to shorten the suspension period.

He also pointed out that the 1MDB investigation that included Umno was still active and insisted the Malay nationalist party was undeniably linked to the scandal.

“The whole world knows this is a corruption scandal. Only Umno doesn’t know. So, YB, I hope you can realise.

“Admit that this is the largest scandal in the world, till Malaysia was labelled as a kleptocrat nation,” Lim said.

According to previous reports, BN parties are suspected of receiving up to RM300 million believed to be from 1MDB prior to the 13th general election.

Of the sum, Umno allegedly took RM145 million.

Authorities suspended Umno’s accounts shortly after the general election last year following renewed investigations into the 1MDB scandal.

The government has already charged former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, former 1MDB chief executive Arul Kanda Kandasamy, and fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, among others, over the global corruption scandal.