An 84-Year-Old Ex-Finance Minister Was Questioned By MACC Over "Extraordinary Wealth"
The former minister was called in over claims linked to Pandora Papers. He was asked to explain, among others, the money flow involving 12 offshore companies owned by him and his family abroad.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has grilled a former minister suspected of having "extraordinary wealth" over the financial flow of 12 offshore companies linked to him and his family
The 84-year-old former minister, who is said to have held the Finance Ministry portfolio, was called into the anti-graft agency's headquarters in Putrajaya, where he had his statement taken yesterday, 13 February.
According to a source, MACC's investigation into the former minister, whose identity has not been revealed, concerns the Pandora Papers, which linked several prominent Malaysians to offshore tax havens.
Utusan Malaysia reported the source as saying that the agency is tracing the assets and investments linked to the former minister and his overseas family, to determine if the wealth was gained through government projects.
"MACC is still tracing the existing assets in addition to examining the flow of financial transactions of offshore companies linked to the leader. It is likely that there will be more individuals called in relation to the Pandora Papers," Utusan Malaysia quoted the source as saying today, 14 February.
For now, no accounts have been frozen by the anti-graft agency
According to the report, MACC's investigation is still at an early stage.
"If investigators warrant it necessary, they will seek for accounts to be frozen. But for now, they are going through documents in relation to the case," the source was quoted as saying.
Investigators also did not rule out the possibility of the former minister being called again. Meanwhile, the agency will be recording statements from the son of a former prime minister today.
Image via Yusof Mat Isa/Malay Mail
The Pandora Papers were released in October 2021, and are based on document leaks from 14 financial services companies worldwide
The Papers refer to the millions of leaked documents put together by an international consortium of investigative journalists, which were then made public. They allegedly revealed the offshore accounts of present and past leaders, including presidents, prime ministers, billionaires, and prominent business people.
At the time, the then Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, had told Dewan Rakyat that the government would instruct its agencies to look into the claims.
Wan Junaidi's statement came after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had called for the content of the Pandora Papers to be discussed in parliament after the then finance minister, Tengku Zafrul Aziz, as well as former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, were named in the leaks among several other Malaysian officials.
Of the two former finance ministers named, only Dain is 84 years old.
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