ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – Former Malaysian finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who will face two charges today for failing to declare his assets, said he is ready to have his day in court.
Daim said his lawyers had been informed that he would be facing the charges.
“So be it. I look forward to my day in court,” he said in a statement on January 27.
The 84-year-old added that graft investigators had recorded a statement from him on January 26.
“My lawyers have since been informed that I will be charged on January 29,” he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed that Daim would be brought to court to face charges.
“There will be two charges (for failure to declare assets),” he said when contacted.
On January 24, the MACC said it had been given the go-ahead to charge Daim but could not execute it just yet as he was in hospital.
It was reported that Daim was hospitalised for about two weeks and was discharged on January 25.
Azam said the agency had wanted to bring Daim’s case to court since last week after getting consent from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
While the agency insisted that Daim’s lawyers were informed of the intention, his wife, Na’imah Abdul Khalid, claimed that neither she nor her family’s legal counsel were informed that Daim would be charged.
The MACC had already taken Na’imah to court, where she was charged with failure to declare assets.
In December 2023, the MACC seized the 60-storey Menara Ilham, which is owned by Daim’s family.
According to a notice by the MACC, the anti-graft agency had seized the tower after it found an offence under the MACC Act in information provided to them.
