MACC had the go-ahead to charge Daim, says Azam
Published on: Wednesday, January 24, 2024
By: FMT
Former finance minister Daim Zainuddin’s hospitalisation delayed immediate action, says Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki.
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) received the green light from the attorney-general’s chambers to bring former finance minister Daim Zainuddin to court last week, says its chief Azam Baki.
Azam said the investigating officer notified Daim’s lawyer, who in turn informed them of Daim’s hospitalisation without giving a clear explanation, Utusan Malaysia reported.
ADVERTISEMENT “Therefore, charges cannot be executed immediately. For now, we will assess the situation but still plan to proceed with charging him,” Azam was quoted as saying.
However, he did not specify the nature of the charges in question.
Yesterday, Daim’s wife Naimah Khalid was charged in the Kuala Lumpur sessions court with failing to comply with an MACC notice requiring the declaration of assets such as companies, several plots of land, as well as two vehicles.
Earlier this month, MACC summoned Naimah and her sons, Amir and Amin, to provide information on assets belonging to the family.
ADVERTISEMENT In a later statement, MACC said a notice was served on Daim under Section 36(1)(a) of the MACC Act 2009 on June 7, 2023. His family members were served notices under Sections 36(1)(b) of the same act.
MACC said its investigation into Daim began in February 2023 and was based on information from the Pandora Papers leak, which linked several prominent Malaysians to offshore tax havens.
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Daim and his family have filed an application in court for a judicial review to challenge the investigation, describing it as unconstitutional.
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