Malaysia charges ex-Mahathir aide Daim Zainuddin with failure to declare assets
- The former finance minister and key ally of ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad was charged on Monday with failing to comply with a notice to declare his assets
- Daim and his family say there is nothing suspicious about their wealth and have accused Anwar of abusing his power to take down political rivals
The 86-year-old Daim, who arrived at court in a wheelchair, was charged with failing to disclose his fortune as required by the MACC. Prosecutors allege his undeclared assets span a collection of high-end cars, including a Rolls-Royce, as well as 38 companies and 25 properties or parcels of land.
The ex-minister under Mahathir’s government pleaded not guilty. In a statement, Daim asked Malaysians to “stand up against Anwar and his regime”, claiming that “honesty, integrity and good governance have gone out the window” as independent institutions are used to pursue political opponents.
“Anwar should know that all this is not without repercussions,” the statement said. Daim had initially tried to read his statement in front of the media outside the court but was unable to finish.
Daim faces up to five years jail and a maximum fine of 100,000 ringgit (US$21,100) if found guilty. He was released on bail of 280,000 ringgit. Prosecutors had asked the court to confiscate Daim’s passport but his lawyer M Puravalen argued against it.
“He’s not going to go anywhere,” he said, pointing at the accused’s wheelchair.
Why are rivals of Malaysia’s PM Anwar ensnared in a corruption investigation?
In a pugnacious press conference, she accused Anwar of using state powers to target his political opponents while corruption charges against his “political cronies” were dropped.
“I say this to you, Anwar Ibrahim, that power is brief and there is always a reckoning for those who abuse it,” Naimah said after she was charged.
The 38 companies said to be linked to Daim span hotels, tourism and property development and are all locally incorporated. The 25 parcels of land cited by prosecutors include prime locations in capital city Kuala Lumpur’s diplomatic zone, with others spread across the Malay Peninsula from northern Kedah state to southern Negeri Sembilan.
11:20
The legacy of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal on politics and corruption-fighting
Mahathir, the 98-year-old former mentor turned arch enemy of Anwar, is chief among the current prime minister’s accusers. Mahathir’s sons Mirzan and Mokhzani have also been ordered to reveal their assets by the MACC.
Mokhanzi, 63, was the latest to be caught up in the crackdown after receiving a notice requiring that he declare his assets, as reported by Bloomberg on Saturday, citing the MACC. It is unclear why exactly Mokhzani is under investigation.
His elder brother Mirzan, 66, was also told to declare his assets in connection with an investigation into his links to the sale of government-linked corporations during his father’s first term in office, as well as revelations made in the Panama Papers.
Mahathir last week slammed the investigation into his family as selective persecution, adding that he was “prepared to be investigated” for alleged corruption during his time in power.
Anwar has denied allegations that he is going after his rivals, but critics say he gave advance notice of the crackdown when he said in mid-2022 that should he become prime minister, Daim would have “sleepless nights”.
Daim, who was recently discharged from hospital after an undisclosed illness, arrived at court alongside his children and wife, who was indicted on Tuesday last week at the same court.
He is a long-time close associate of Mahathir. Both men presided over a period of rapid economic expansion in Malaysia during Mahathir’s first term in power in the 1980s -though his opponents say this growth was defined by crony capitalism beneficial to only a select few business allies.
At the height of the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, Mahathir sacked Anwar as his deputy after a political falling out. The latter was later jailed for corruption and sodomy; charges that he and his supporters say were trumped up.
The episode triggered a decades-long feud between the two leaders, which continues to influence the country’s politics.
How the Mahathir-Anwar relationship shaped Malaysia’s politics
They briefly buried the hatchet to lead the opposition to an unprecedented win in the 2018 national polls, but old wounds reopened in a political coup two years later.
It was not until November 2022 that Anwar finally rose to become prime minister at the behest of Malaysia’s king, after a deeply split general election that ended with no single party winning enough seats to claim a parliamentary majority.
