DAP man claims Teresa Kok abused charity fund for GE13 campaign
(MM) – A DAP member lodged a report with national graftbusters today accusing Seputeh MP Teresa Kok of siphoning party funds meant for charity into a political chest in the run-up to Election 2013.
As claims surface of an internal feud surrounding the appointment of Kok’s campaign manager, Danny Lim (pic below) said he decided to go to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) after Kok allegedly refused to disclose details surrounding some RM186,000 she had spent in her campaign to retain the Seputeh parliamentary seat.
“Instead of explaining, she issued me a letter through her lawyers demanding RM10 million for defamation,” Lim, who is registered with DAP’s OUG branch, told reporters at the MACC headquarters here before filing his complaint.
He was accompanied by a small group that included Kok’s former aide, Tony Tan (pic above).
Lim claimed the MP had channelled funds meant for charity into her political purse.
Lim, who was accompanied by Kok’s former aide Tony Tan, was earlier reported to have accused Kok of using over RM400,000 in party funds for unknown purposes.
Last month, news portal rakyatnews.my cited Lim accusing Kok of abusing the funds, purportedly raised from public contributions, and using another RM200,000 to get her electoral campaign going.
Contacted for her response, Kok said the report was merely an attempt by disgruntled members to discredit her name.
She said that claims of abuse of funds during her campaign surfaced after she decided to appoint a campaign manager who was not the choice of a few members within her division.
“The issue here is that people like Danny Lim and a few others wanted one member, C.C. Wong, to become my campaign manager but I didn’t appoint him because he’s too old and couldn’t keep up.
“I instead appointed Ng Chai Heng, who is my friend, and from there they started making all these demands and claims,” she told The Malay Mail Online.
Kok, who is also DAP vice-chairman, confirmed that her lawyers had sent a letter of demand to Lim.
The 49-year-old who is into her sixth consecutive term as Seputeh MP noted that despite discontent from within, she decided to compile a full report of her campaign expenditure and had it audited independently before presenting it to party members.
“This is not the first time a report has been lodged against me. Tony did it a few years back and the MACC did come and investigate me, but they found nothing,” she said, of her ex-aide.
“I have done nothing illegal, nothing corrupt. This is just an attempt to tarnish my name, just like what Umno is doing to me now,” she said, referring to the recent uproar over her recent Chinese New Year video that poked fun at current issues.
