Mahathir’s Former Adviser Charged in Malaysian Graft Probe

Kok Leong Chan and Netty Ismail
·2 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- A former Malaysian minister who was once an adviser to ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was charged on Monday for not declaring his wealth as the nation steps up its anti-corruption probes.

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Daim Zainuddin, a former finance minister, pleaded not guilty and sought trial. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission recently ordered the 85-year-old, his wife as well as two of Mahathir’s sons to declare their assets.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, a former ally of Mahathir, rose to power in November 2022 with a vow to stamp out corruption. His reform agenda has faced criticisms after the government last year withdrew 47 criminal charges against a key supporter, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Anwar has denied interfering in the case as well as in MACC’s investigations.

Concerns over political stability have weighed on the ringgit, which has extended losses this year after becoming the biggest loser in emerging Asia in 2023.

“I am not guilty and I look forward to my day in court,” Daim, who appeared in court on Monday in a wheelchair, said in a statement. As Anwar “busies himself pursuing vendettas of the past, the ringgit continues in a free fall, the economy stagnates, while the sufferings of ordinary Malaysians are ignored.”

Daim’s assets include luxury cars as well as hotels, according to the anti-corruption commission. His wife, Nai’mah Abdul Khalid, was charged last week for not declaring her assets, which include the 60-story Ilham Tower building in Kuala Lumpur that the agency seized in December.

Separately, Malaysia’s Pardons Board, which is headed by the King, is scheduled to meet Monday and may discuss former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bid for a pardon from his convictions related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd. scandal, Utusan Malaysia reported.

Najib’s pardon bid will come up during the meeting to be chaired by outgoing King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, the Malay-language daily reported, without saying where it got the information. Najib’s lawyers formally requested a royal pardon from the king in 2022.

Zaliha Mustafa, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department who sits on the six-member Pardons Board, was quoted in the same report as saying that the meeting has been scheduled for Monday. The minister and the Prime Minister’s office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

--With assistance from Ram Anand.

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