PETALING JAYA: The investigation against former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin is based on existing laws and information from the Pandora Papers, says the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The MACC said it would like to correct certain facts regarding the statement issued by Daim on Thursday “which has caused unnecessary confusion and misunderstanding over the investigation.”
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“The MACC has never at any point raised or issued any official statement accusing Daim of committing any wrongdoing.
“The MACC opened an investigation paper in February 2023 based on information from the Pandora Papers,” it said in a statement yesterday.
The Pandora Papers refers to a report released in October 2021 by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in which over 11.9 million confidential financial documents were leaked from 14 financial services companies worldwide.
The leak exposed the secret offshore accounts of world leaders, including current and former presidents, prime ministers, heads of state, billionaires, celebrities, and business leaders, with two Malaysians among the 336 global politicians covered in the report.
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The MACC said that as part of its investigation, a notice was issued on June 7 under Section 36(1)(a) of the MACC Act 2009, which was sent to Daim requesting that he make a written and sworn statement to declare all his assets whether inside or outside the country within 30 days from the date the notice was issued.
“Daim applied for five extensions and he was granted the extensions on July 6, Aug 10, Sept 11, Oct 11 and the final one on Nov 14 this year to declare all of his assets,” said the anti-graft body.
The MACC added that the public prosecutor had also issued a Notice of Seizure on Menara Ilham on Dec 18 under Section 38(1), MACC Act 2009 (Seizure of Immovable Property).
Daim is also currently being probed under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009, and Section 4 (1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Act 2001, the commission added.
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“However, based on the legal principle of ‘presumption of innocence,’ anyone being investigated for any offence is innocent until proven guilty, and he has every opportunity to clear his name if the case is brought to a court of law.
“It has to be reiterated that the MACC is an independent commission and acts in an objective and professional manner according to stipulated laws and regulations, in addition to being monitored by five independent oversight bodies.
“Therefore, the MACC urges all to restrain from speculating on the case and allow investigations to proceed without interference,” it said.
Last week, the MACC seized Menara Ilham, a 60-storey building owned by Daim’s family.
On Thursday, Daim hit out at the MACC investigations on him and his family, claiming that they were nothing short of a “political witch-hunt” due to the “animus” of the Prime Minister.
He also claimed that he was not informed about the offences he had allegedly committed despite his repeated requests.
Earlier in February, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had given his assurance that investigations into allegations in the Pandora Papers would continue to be carried out to ensure that action can be taken.
Anwar said the investigation, which involves the police, the MACC and Inland Revenue Board, among others, was focused on big personalities in the country, including a former prime minister and former finance minister.
