Malaysian ex-finance minister Daim to face two charges in court on Jan 29
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Tun Daim Zainuddin said he is looking forward to his day in court.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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PUTRAJAYA – Former Malaysian finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who will face two charges on Jan 29 for failing to declare his assets, said he is ready to have his day in court.
Tun Daim said his lawyers had been informed that he would be facing the charges.
“So be it. I look forward to my day in court,” he said in a statement on Jan 27.
The 84-year-old added that graft investigators had recorded a statement from him on Jan 26.
“My lawyers have since been informed that I will be charged on Jan 29. It is for an offence under Section 36(2) of the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) Act pertaining to the disclosure of assets,” he said.
Meanwhile, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed that Mr Daim would be brought to court to face charges.
“There will be two charges (for failure to declare assets),” he said when contacted.
On Jan 24, the MACC said it had been given the go-ahead to charge Mr Daim but could not execute it just yet as he was in hospital.
It was reported that Daim was hospitalised for about two weeks and was discharged on Jan 25.
Tan Sri Azam said the agency had wanted to bring Mr Daim’s case to court since last week after getting consent from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
While the agency insisted that Mr Daim’s lawyers were informed of the intention, his wife, Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid, claimed that neither she nor her family’s legal counsel were informed that Mr Daim would be charged.
The MACC had already taken Na’imah to court, where she was charged with failure to declare assets.
In December 2023, the MACC seized the 60-storey Menara Ilham
According to a notice by the MACC, the anti-graft agency had seized the tower after it found an offence under the MACC Act in information provided to them.
Following the seizure of the tower, Mr Daim hit out at the MACC investigations on him and his family.
He claimed that the move was nothing short of a political witch-hunt due to the “animus” of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The MACC explained that the investigation carried out against Mr Daim is based on the existing law and information from the Pandora Papers, and an investigation paper was opened in February 2023. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
