Azam said investigations were conducted immediately following a report lodged by Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam earlier this month. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) showed an alleged transfer of US$741,440 (about RM3.1 million) from engineering giant UEM Group Berhad into a bank account bearing the same name as Datuk Seri Azmin Ali does not exist.

MACC deputy chief commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki in confirming the transaction’s non-existence, said investigations were conducted immediately following a report lodged by Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam earlier this month.

“During the course of investigations over Lokman’s report, we discovered that the transaction between the accounts and the accounts themselves did not exist.

“Moreover, Maybank and UEM have already issued statements over the matter on the non-existent accounts and transactions,” he told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex here when asked for updates on the case.

Azam also said MACC investigations also found there was no so-called Deutsche Bank account in Azmin’s name that was allegedly opened in September 2012.

He added that the MACC will call more people for their testimony on the case, but declined to name them.

Lokman filed a complaint with the MACC on June 11, alleging that UEM transferred US$741,440 into a Malayan Banking Berhad account bearing the name Azmin, who is economic affairs minister and PKR deputy president, on December 19, 2017.

UEM then issued a statement denying ownership of the alleged bank account and the purported transfer of that sum to Azmin.

Maybank has also refuted a banking slip bearing its name that alleged the transfer, stating that the account number indicated was an invalid one and its mark appeared to be forged.