Malaysia’s Anti-Graft Body Summons Mahathir’s Son to Aid Probe

(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating the business activities of the son of former leader Mahathir Mohamad, in a sign of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s widening anti-graft campaign against his rivals.

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Mirzan Mahathir was summoned to the MACC headquarters Wednesday and told to declare all assets in his possession within 30 days, the anti-corruption body said in a statement Thursday. The order is part of the MACC’s probe into information from the Panama Papers as well as his business activities involving the sale and purchase of government-linked companies, it added.

Mirzan, the eldest son of Ex-Premier Mahathir, once ran the shipping company Konsortium Perkapalan Bhd. The firm, according to Anwar, was bailed out by national oil and gas company Petronas during the first term of his father, the New Straits Times reported in June last year. Mahathir has denied such allegations, and filed a defamation suit against Anwar.

The administration of Anwar, who rose to power in November 2022 on an anti-corruption drive, has since conducted probes that involved former prime ministers Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Muhyiddin Yassin, the chief minister of an opposition-held state, as well as a former adviser to Mahathir.

Anwar’s commitment to fight graft came under scrutiny last year after the government withdrew 47 criminal charges against a key ally, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Anwar has denied interfering in the case, as well as in the MACC’s investigations.

The MACC said Thursday that it began investigating entities linked and named in the Pandora Papers and Panama Papers since August 2022. The probes are conducted under the MACC Act 2009 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorist Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, it said.

“To date, a total of 10 witnesses have been called for the purpose of recording statements and the MACC is studying the financial documents and asset ownership of the entities listed in the reports and the investigation is still ongoing,” it said.

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