Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has brushed off reports that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is working hand in hand with the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate his alleged foreign assets. Instead of appearing alarmed, the centenarian who twice served as prime minister responded with a touch of irony: if such assets exist, he would gladly claim them and hand them over to the poor.
“I’m surprised. Looks like I’ve suddenly discovered I own assets in the United Kingdom. I did not know about this. Please let me know, so I can claim this asset and after that, I will give it to the poor,” Dr Mahathir wrote in a brief Facebook posting on Thursday (Sept 11, 2025).
His remarks came after MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed that Malaysia is collaborating with UK authorities to trace assets allegedly linked to Mahathir, his family, and associates. According to sources quoted by Bernama, the MACC has been engaging with the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) in London as part of a broader investigation into suspiciously acquired wealth allegedly parked abroad - not only in the UK but also in Canada, Switzerland, and Japan. The MACC is awaiting the official list of assets from UK authorities. Once the information is received, the legal process to seize and forfeit any identified assets will commence.
The probe follows asset declarations made earlier this year by Mahathir’s sons. Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir declared over RM1 billion in assets, while his elder brother Mirzan declared around RM246 million. These declarations were ordered by the MACC under ongoing investigations into Mahathir, who has long denied any wrongdoing.
Mahathir, however, views the investigation through a political lens. He alleged that Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim is deliberately prolonging a defamation suit he filed in May 2023. Despite Anwar seeking two weeks to respond, Mahathir said nearly two years have passed without the case reaching trial. The lawsuit, amounting to RM150 million, stems from Anwar’s claims that Mahathir amassed wealth for personal benefit during his premiership.
The alleged offence falls under Section 23 of the MACC Act, abuse of power for personal gratification carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines five times the value of the gratification.
Whether Mahathir truly has hidden assets abroad or whether this is yet another political saga remains to be seen. For now, the former premier has flipped the narrative: portraying himself not as a man cornered by allegations but as one prepared, even humorously, to donate supposed wealth to charity.
By: Kpost
Information Source:
Kpost (ckhorsk@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.