KUALA LUMPUR – Former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin’s wife has vowed to fight the graft allegations brought against her by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
In a brief statement, Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid confirmed that she will be charged tomorrow (January 23) under section 36(2) of the MACC Act 2009, for purportedly failing to comply with a notice asking to disclose information on her assets.
Na’imah said a team of MACC officers arrived at the hospital where her husband is warded, demanding to record a statement.
She said this happened although the investigators had taken her statement earlier on January 10.
“This was despite the fact I assured them that I would give them a statement as soon as my husband’s medical procedure is over on Tuesday,” she said.
“I asked for the charge to be done just one day later on Wednesday after my husband’s medical procedure, but this was refused. They insisted I be charged tomorrow.”
“I will be in court tomorrow. I will fight this charge.”
A MACC source told Scoop that Na’imah was arrested at the Assunta Hospital in Petaling Jaya at 4.50pm today.
The source added that she will be charged for allegedly “failing to declare assets”.
Earlier, MACC Anti-Money Laundering Division Director Datuk Mohammad Zamri Zainul Abidin, when contacted, confirmed that Na’imah is expected to be charged under Section 36(2) of the MACC Act 2009.
Months ago, the agency issued Daim and his family members a notice under Section 36(1)(b) of the MACC Act 2009, which compels them to declare all movable and immovable assets in Malaysia and abroad within 30 days.
On January 19, Na’imah said the recent “sensationalist” news reports of the Daim family’s wealth have painted them in a bad light, even though its offshore assets are no secret.
Na’imah defended her family’s fortunes, saying those were reaped from his businesses and legitimate investments prior to his foray into politics in 1984.
She was referring to the reports that she and her two sons Muhammad Amin Zainuddin and Muhammad Amir Zainuddin – are said to be beneficiaries of a trust with US$52.5 million (RM247.5 million) in assets, eclipsing Daim’s assets listed in the Pandora Papers.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reported that Na’imah had set up ZA Star Trust in 2010, with investments in three British Virgin Islands companies.
According to leaked records from a Cayman Islands financial services firm, two companies own properties in London, including an eighth-floor office building near St Paul’s Cathedral, which was bought in 2014 for US$50.8 million.
The remaining company indirectly owns shares in nine entities registered in Delaware and Massachusetts, US. These entities had investments in hotels, parking lots, and other commercial and residential properties.
Currently, Daim is being investigated by the MACC over the revelations in the Pandora Papers, which linked him and his proxies to offshore businesses worth at least US$31 million.
Daim is said to be recuperating at Assunta Hospital, Petaling Jaya. His medical team said he is in no shape to be questioned.
Earlier, sources said the MACC probe into Daim would include his role in the 1998 over-the-counter stock-trading system in Singapore known as CLOB (Central Limit Order Book) as well as “forced divestments” by those on the opposing political divide.
Last Tuesday, Daim’s legal team, led by former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, went to the high court here to challenge MACC’s probe.
MACC’s investigation into Daim was opened nearly a year ago, in February 2023, based on the mention of his name in the 2021 Pandora Papers. No charges have been brought against him yet.
Thomas said the anti-graft agency’s probe was “prejudicial”, given that Daim had left public office 22 years ago, besides his old age.
The lawyer also said MACC’s “delayed investigation” was to “fish” for evidence. – January 22, 2024