Wife and sons of former Malaysian finance minister Daim Zainuddin ...

PUTRAJAYA: The wife of Mr Daim Zainuddin and their two sons are assisting in Malaysia's anti-graft agency's investigations against the country's former finance minister. 

The three arrived at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya on Wednesday (Jan 10) morning to give their statements in the probe against Mr Daim, who is the subject of an anti-graft investigation. 

Mr Daim had earlier accused Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of initiating a “political witch-hunt” against him and warning that he will take “appropriate action in due course”.

In a brief statement to members of the media before entering the MACC premises, Mdm Nai’mah Abdul Khalid said she and her sons would give their full cooperation to the agency as required by the law. 

When contacted by Bernama, MACC's Anti-Money Laundering Division's director Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin confirmed that the agency took statements from the three to facilitate investigations under Malaysia's anti-money laundering laws. 

In December, MACC said the investigation against Mr Daim was based on information obtained from the Pandora Papers - a trove of documents, leaked in 2021, that revealed the hidden wealth of world leaders, billionaires and celebrities who used offshore companies to acquire mansions, private jets and stakes in companies.

Mr Daim had said in the wake of the leak that his business dealings, as revealed in the Pandora Papers, were legitimate. He added that he was a “successful and wealthy” businessman long before he entered politics and that taxes had been fully paid for his businesses and income. 

In the same month, CNA reported that the multi-million-dollar Ilham Tower, a prime commercial building owned by the Daim family, was seized after he refused to declare his and his family's financial holdings.