Daim under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering – MACC

PUTRAJAYA - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirms that it is investigating former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin over allegations of corruption and money laundering, following the recent seizure of a building.

Its Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, when contacted, confirmed the matter, but refused to comment further on the details of the investigation case.

He said that the confiscation of the Menara Ilham building on Friday did not affect the operation at the building.

"When we investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of power involving immovable property, we are allowed under the MACC Act to send a seizure application to the Deputy Public Prosecutor.

"That's what happened. We used the authority allocated to the Deputy Public Prosecutor to order the land office to place a caveat on the land," he said when contacted.

Azam said that the same process had been carried out by the MACC when the investigation process was carried out, while emphasising that the Menara Ilham seizure was not the only case.

The media on Friday reported that the confiscation of the Menara Ilham building by the MACC was to prevent any act of selling, transferring ownership or disposing of the building as a whole or any part of the building.

The confiscation was carried out after an investigation was opened in relation to the acquisition of shares involving two listed companies amounting to RM2.34 billion.

The value involved the acquisition of Renong Berhad's shares of 32.6 percent equity by UEM Group.

The confiscation was carried out after MACC’s investigation found that the owner of Menara Ilham was a company owned by the wife and son of the former Finance Minister.

The Menara Ilham construction project was approximately RM580 million.

Any day-to-day operational activities in the building are going on as usual and are not hindered by MACC.