Perak Amanah chairman Asmuni Awi speaks to Malay Mail during an interview in Ipoh March 6, 2019. — Picture by Farhan Najib

IPOH, March 6 ― Former PAS treasurer-general Asmuni Awi said it was unlikely for Umno to have directly funded the Islamist party, but alleged it could have paid off party leaders.

Asmuni, who is now head of the Perak Amanah, said some PAS leaders’ ability to independently fund large-scale programmes raised suspicion.

“To be honest, PAS is not a rich party. We had tens of thousands in our account, which is mostly from the one-off member's registration fees and donation, but definitely not millions, not when I was treasurer,” he said.

He said the party has around 800,000 members who paid only a one-off RM100 to register. It also did not get donations larger than RM20,000.

Asmuni asserted that it cost the party up to RM30,000 to hold its normal events.

However, he asserted that the organisers of programmes costing millions, such as the Nadwah Permerkasaan Du'at (NEKAD), Himpunan Derita Rakyat (HINDAR), and Himpunan Harapan Semua (HARAP) never requested for funding.

Others conducted without official party funds include the Ijtima Antarabangsa Perpaduan Ummah in Rusila, Terengganu in March, 2015 that he claimed cost RM2 million but for which he only received a request for RM70,000 from AS deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

He claimed when he asked Tuan Ibrahim about the shortfall, the latter allegedly said it had been settled and that he should not ask further.

“I don't know how they manage to conduct it,” he said.

Asmuni was PAS treasurer-general from 2013 to 2015. He was among the party leaders who left to form the Amanah splinter.

In 2016, the Sarawak Report website accused PAS leaders of taking RM90 million from Umno.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating the matter.