PUTRAJAYA – The wife of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin and his two sons arrived at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)’s headquarters here, at 10.10am, this morning.
The trio, Toh Puan Naimah Khalid and her sons Muhammed Amin and Muhammad Amir, arrived accompanied by two lawyers.
They were summoned by the graft busters for questioning in relation to the corruption probe involving Daim.
Addressing the media, Naimah claimed that her husband was being persecuted due to his success as a businessman and that he was dubbed a tycoon and millionaire even before joining the government.
She also pointed out that his success was used as an excuse to slander her husband’s good name and portray him as a corrupt person.
“It is common knowledge that Daim was a very successful businessman before joining the government in 1984.
“In fact, the media widely referred to him as a tycoon and millionaire before assuming public office 40 years ago.
“Now, a campaign to distort information and perception is being carried out to give the impression that he is a corrupt person simply because he is very rich.
“It’s something unreasonable and absurd, it seems that no successful businessman in this country will escape such accusations.
“In the public sphere, allegations like this do not easily disappear,” she said.
Taking a jibe at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Naimah reiterated that the position of prime minister should not be used to defame individuals through insinuations and alleged accusations of wrongdoing, nor should it be used to resolve past political disputes.
“This is what the prime minister has done in the past few times claiming that my husband has illegal wealth, without providing a single bit of evidence.
“Is the prime minister suggesting that Malay businessmen, who work hard and possess the capability, cannot become rich without using illegal or corrupt means?
“This only reinforces false stereotypes about the capabilities of Malays,” he said.
She said that even though the prime minister did not like Daim, he should respect the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty in court.
“In Malaysia today, is any assumption produced from the prime minister’s stage enough to punish someone?
“Today it is my family – tomorrow or the day after, who else will be a victim?” she asked.
She said, no matter what, her party has cooperated with the MACC as required by law.
“Although we still question the motive of the investigation, we know we will eventually be proven innocent,” she added.
Yesterday, Daim’s family lawyer issued a notice this evening about the trio being summoned by the graft busters to the MACC headquarters.
On January 4, the MACC recorded statements from four individuals to assist in its investigation into Daim.
The anti-graft agency had opened an investigation into Daim in February last year, which was based on leaked information from the Pandora Papers on offshore wealth held by prominent figures.
On December 18, the MACC seized the Ilham Tower in connection with Daim’s involvement in an alleged embezzlement case involving RM2.3 billion in public funds in the 1990s.
The seizure came after the MACC initiated an investigation into Daim’s financial holdings in May.
A week after the tower’s seizure, the MACC confirmed the probe against Daim, and said investigations would include looking into his domestic and international assets and businesses.
MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki told Scoop that the investigation was focused on the acquisitions of his assets and businesses, such as property, hotels and financial institutions overseas. – January 10, 2024