Malaysia’s ex-finance minister charged for failure to declare assets
Former Malaysian finance minister Daim Zainuddin was charged on Jan 29 for failing to declare his assets.
The 85-year-old, who served as finance minister twice between 1984 and 2001, pleaded not guilty in a court in Kuala Lumpur.
If found guilty, Daim faces a maximum prison term of five years and a RM100,000 (S$28,373) fine.
Earlier, the wheelchair-bound Daim, who was wearing a dark-coloured jacket over a light blue shirt, arrived in court at 8.40am, accompanied by his wife and other family members.
His wife, Na’imah Abdul Khalid, was charged on Jan 23 with failing to disclose her assets to graft investigators.
Tun Daim, 85, is a close ally of former two-time prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
He is a fierce critic of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who came to power in 2022 vowing to stamp out high-level corruption.
The country’s anti-graft agency has said it is investigating Daim, who has called the probe into his affairs a “political witch-hunt”.
Tun Dr Mahathir has also claimed that the investigation is politically motivated.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had explained that the investigation carried out against Daim is based on existing laws and information from the Pandora Papers, which shone a light on tax evasion by the rich and powerful around the world.
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