Umno wants transfer of Seri Pacific hotel land held under trusteeship of Dr M, Daim, two others

• A case management was held on Thursday before senior assistant registrar Nur Shasha Hidayah Nor Azhar, where a representative from the Attorney General’s Chambers had entered an appearance for the FT Land and Mines Department. A further case management has been fixed for May 2.

KUALA LUMPUR (April 10): Umno has filed an originating summons (OS) at the High Court last month seeking a declaration and an order for a 9,723 square metre land to be transferred to the political party. The land, which is now the Seri Pacific Hotel, here, is currently held in trust by four people, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the late Tun Daim Zainuddin.

Besides Mahathir and Daim, the other two individuals who hold the land as trustees are Tun Musa Hitam and the late Tan Sri Sanusi Junid.

The OS was filed by Umno’s executive secretary Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan on March 6 this year, through Messrs Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak, according to a file search conducted by The Edge.

Sumali in his application is seeking a declaration that the property grant number 78154, Lot 40, Section 51, in Kuala Lumpur, registered in trust under Daim, Musa, Mahathir, and Sanusi, are the same individuals as in Daim’s actual name Che Abdul Daim Zainuddin, Musa, Mahathir, and Sanusi, and then for an order for the property to be transferred to the party in accordance with Article 27.1 of the Umno constitution.

He further sought an order that the ownership of the land be with Umno, and for the Federal Territory (FT) of Kuala Lumpur Land and Mines Department to give effect to the order and other relief deemed fit by the court.

A case management was held on Thursday before senior assistant registrar Nur Shasha Hidayah Nor Azhar, where a representative from the Attorney General’s Chambers had entered an appearance for the FT Land and Mines Department. A further case management has been fixed for May 2.

When contacted by The Edge, lawyer Nur Hazira Abu Haiyan, who appeared for Umno, confirmed the next case management date.

Sumali, in his affidavit in support of the application, said that Form 17 for the land transfer had been signed by the four trustees on Oct 22, 2015. However, two of them — Sanusi and Daim — have since passed away, on March 9, 2018, and Nov 13 last year, respectively.

He produced Sanusi’s death certificate, and also media reports over Daim’s demise.

“The Umno office bearers, who are the party president, deputy president [and] secretary general, wanted to register the said land from the four trustees to Umno in 2015. They (the officer bearers) had agreed and directed for the registration of the said land from the four trustees to the party.

“I am made to understand that the FT Land and Mines had initially approved the transfer from the trustees to the party; but in the process of the transfer, it was rejected on May 18, 2017, on the grounds that the name as in the registered grant is not the same as in the identification card,” Sumali said, adding that he was advised by lawyers that there had been an error in the registration of the name of the trustees.

Sumali added that Umno has a beneficial interest in the land, and the FT Land and Mines Department should rectify and register the land to the party.

“There is no mala fide (bad intention) or misrepresentation by me (as the applicant) and Umno in the registration of the land title, as it is only to validly enforce the law and finalise the re-registration of the land from the four trustees to Umno,” he added.

It has previously been reported that Umno has an 85.88% stake in Seri Pacific Corp Sdn Bhd, which owns the Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur, via RHB Nominees Sdn Bhd.

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