Recently, the daughter of former minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, reportedly claimed trial at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for committing an offence by giving a sworn written statement that did not comply with the MACC notice under Section 36(1) of the MACC Act 2009 on Dec 13, 2023.
Section 36(1) of the MACC Act 2009 compel individuals to declare assets, including those owned by spouses or children, covering both local and foreign assets and failure to comply with the notice (e.g., providing incomplete or false information) is an offence and individuals may face a fine, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 20 years, or both.
The assets she allegedly did not disclosed were her shares in 5 companies, namely Amiraz Sdn Bhd, Arida Farms Sdn Bhd, Kangkung Catering Sdn Bhd, Transgrade Sdn Bhd and Gajah3 Foods Sdn Bhd.
According to her lawyer, she disclosed 16 properties and for the 5 companies which MACC alleged she did not disclose, she explained to MACC at that time that those companies were dormant and were in the process of being wound up voluntarily.
As expected, she reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum five years’ jail and a fine of up to RM100,000.
According to a maintream media report, MACC started and initiated investigations into the children of the late Tun Daim Zainuddin in 2023 as part of a probe following the 2021 Pandora Papers revelations.
Asset declaration notices were initially served on them between June and November 2023, with formal notices to trace them issued on February 28, 2026, due to non-compliance.
2 years after the revelation of the Pandora Papers to initiate investigations?
The Pandora Papers, released in October 2021, was a massive leak of nearly 12 million documents and files from 14 offshore service providers.
The papers revealed how the powerfully connected and elite across the world, including those in Malaysia, are able to funnel and siphon money away and hide it through the use of anonymous companies.
Pandora Papers show that the people that could end the secrecy offshore are themselves benefiting from it, so there's no incentive for them to end it.
And after more than 5 years when the Pandora Papers was 1st released and after conducting an investigation, MACC is charging the daughter of Tun Daim for failing to disclose 5 companies she allegedly owned, which she willingly disclosed are dormant and which she was in the process of getting it wound down and to be struck off from SSM’s register?
Does MACC seriously believe that the Court will convict her for this charge?
Or is this the 1st charge of many more charges to come against her?
If not, was this charge carried out for the purposes of optics only i.e for the public’s consumption that something is being done.
Tun Daim and his family are not the only names in the Pandora Papers.
There were also names of other Malaysians.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said reportedly said in Feb 2023 that investigations are still ongoing into those Malaysians whose names are also revealed in the Pandora Papers.
What is the status of MACC’s investigation into those people?
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