Mahathir Investigated by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Two of His Children Deny Involvement

"We are determined to refute those allegations and want to prove that everything we have obtained over the years is through legitimate means, through appropriate channels without any violation,” they explained.

Previously, Thursday (25/4/2024), Principal Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Azam Baki revealed that former PM Mahathir was among those investigated in connection with the alleged corruption case involving Mirzan and Mokhzani Mahathir. "I want to confirm that he (Mahathir) is among those being investigated. "This follows an investigation into his sons," Azam said in a written statement.

Since January, MACC has ordered both of Mahathir's sons to report all assets they have owned and controlled since 1981, both domestic and foreign assets. 1981 was the year when Mahathir was appointed as prime minister.

Singaporean media, The Straits Times, at the end of March 2024 reported that Mahathir was the main target of the MACC investigation from the start. Mokhzani, as quoted by The Straits Times at that time, said that his father, who is now 98 years old, had been made the main suspect in the corruption case being investigated by MACC.

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“My father is the main suspect. "We are witnesses to whatever they are investigating," said Mokhzani.

The investigation into Mahathir and his family is not separated from the investigation conducted by MACC against several former officials from Mahathir's government era, including former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin. MACC began investigating Daim in May 2023 on suspicion of embezzlement of state funds, which is estimated to amount to 2.3 billion ringgit or around 500 million US dollars in 1997.

Daim was the Finance Minister from 1984-1991 and 1998-2001, as well as the Treasurer of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) led by Mahathir from 1984 to 2001. He is considered to have played a major role in determining the direction of Mahathir's government's economic policies.

MACC's investigation is based, among other things, on the investigative reports of several mass media regarding the Pandora Papers, a collaborative report on the financial records of politicians and global public figures. These reports, along with the Panama Papers, form the basis for MACC's investigation.

It is mentioned, for example, that Daim is one of the Malaysian citizens known to have stored their wealth abroad in the form of US dollars when Asia was hit by an economic crisis. Mahathir's son, Mirzan, is also mentioned in the leaked documents.

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Daim refused the MACC's request to fill out a wealth report, deeming it to be a deviation. Eventually, the authorities froze and seized a number of funds from his and his family's bank accounts. Several assets belonging to Daim and his family were also reported to have been seized, including the Ilham Tower located near the Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur.

MACC accuses Daim of not reporting 71 assets, including 38 companies, 25 properties, and a number of luxury cars. Daim has faced a corruption trial in March 2024 and faces a prison sentence of up to 5 years. His wife, Na’imah Abdul Khalid, also faces the same threat for failing to report the assets she possessed and controlled.

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Azam refused to explain the status of Mahathir and the substance of the investigation being carried out by his institution against the family. "Let the investigation be completed first, until the appropriate time when we can declare the findings of this case," he said.

Mahathir's office has not provided any comment. An aide of Mahathir, who did not want to be named, told AFP that there was no notification to Mahathir regarding the investigation against him.

Mahathir, who has served as prime minister twice since 1981, is involved in a rivalry with his protégé, Anwar Ibrahim, the current PM of Malaysia. Their political rivalry dominated Malaysian politics for decades.

Anwar became prime minister in 2022 after more than 20 years as an opposition leader. One of his promises made during the campaign was to combat corruption and focus on the economy. (AFP/REUTERS)