MACC investigators investigating former spy chief Hasanah Abdul Hamid are reportedly looking into a possible link between US$12 million in allegedly misappropriated election funds and 1MDB.

According to the New Straits Times, the US$12 million (RM49.498 million at current rates) was brought in as cold hard cash through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport sometime in mid-April, allegedly for the 14th general election.

The report said the investigators were still tracing the money trail, but had strong grounds to believe the funds were linked to 1MDB.

Hasanah, the former head of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO), was arrested on Tuesday, hours after the MACC remanded her deputy and six administrative and diplomatic staff over the missing election funds.

Malaysiakini previously reported that security personnel at the Prime Minister’s Department allegedly took RM3.5 million in cash on the night of May 9, when they learned that BN was about to lose the election.

The money was said to be part of Umno’s election war chest.

At the time, the MACC had arrested 17 security personnel in relation to the case, and subsequently made more arrests.

In the run-up to GE14, Hasanah had also written to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) urging the US to support then-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s administration if BN only secured a narrow victory in the election.

Hasanah later told reporters that the letter had nothing to do with Najib.