The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that it summoned businessman Mirzan Mahathir to its headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday to be served a notice of asset declaration.
In a statement, MACC said it served Mirzan the notice under Section 36(1)(b) of the MACC Act 2009, which requires him to declare all the movable and immovable assets in his possession within 30 days.
Mirzan is the eldest son of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“This asset declaration notice is a continuation of MACC’s investigation into information from the Panama Papers report and his (Mirzan’s) business activities involving the sale and purchase of government-linked companies (GLCs),” MACC said.
“MACC initiated the investigation in August 2022 as part of its probe into all entities mentioned in the Pandora Papers and Panama Papers reports.
“MACC is examining financial documents and the ownership of assets by the entities listed in the reports.”
It said 10 witnesses have had their statements recorded, with the investigation still “actively ongoing”.
MACC did not state whether the 10 witnesses or the investigation was specific to Mirzan or all the Malaysians mentioned in the Pandora Papers and Panama Papers.
The Pandora Papers and the Panama Papers refer to thousands of documents leaked by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) which revealed details of bank accounts and offshore assets of political figures and other notable personalities.
Last week, MACC quizzed former finance minister Daim Zainuddin’s wife, Naimah Khalid, and their two sons on assets belonging to the family as part of its probe.
MACC said its investigation into Daim began in February 2023 and was based on information from the Pandora Papers leak.
Daim and his family have filed an application in court for a judicial review to challenge the investigation, which they claim is unconstitutional. – FMT