Daim family assets frozen to prevent disposal during probe
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said it froze seven properties and one bank account belonging to the late Tun Daim Zainuddin's wife, Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid, to prevent the assets from being disposed of while investigations are ongoing.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the move was part of the commission's preliminary actions to facilitate further investigation.
'In this case, we have submitted a court application for a prohibition order to freeze the overseas assets. If such an order is not obtained, there is a high possibility that the assets, believed not to have been declared, may be disposed of,' he said in a statement today.
Media reports yesterday stated that three luxury homes in London are among the seven properties and one bank account said to belong to Na'imah and her family, involving a total value of £132 million (RM758.2 million), which were frozen by the MACC.
MACC investigations found that the movable and immovable assets were linked to alleged offences under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001.
The MACC's application, represented by deputy public prosecutor Mahadi Abdul Jumaat, to freeze the assets was granted by High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid in an ex parte proceeding yesterday.
Meanwhile, former MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad said the legally accurate term in this case is a prohibitory order, not a freezing order.
He explained that 'freezing' typically refers to action under Section 44 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), which usually involves bank accounts and specific financial instruments.
In contrast, this case involves a prohibitory order under Section 53 of AMLA, which pertains to restrictions on transactions involving overseas assets suspected of being linked to unlawful activities.
'However, the issuance of a prohibitory order does not imply or presume that the assets in question were obtained through corruption or illegal means,' he added.
'The purpose of this order is simply to block any transactions involving the specified assets while MACC investigations are ongoing. It is a temporary measure to maintain the status quo and prevent disposal of the assets during the investigation,' he said in a statement.
Dzulkifli, who is also a lawyer, noted that the High Court's prohibitory order was issued through an ex parte application, meaning it was made without prior notice or the presence of the affected parties.
At that stage, he added, the individuals subject to the order have not yet been given the opportunity to respond or challenge the application in court.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
40 minutes ago
- The Star
French rabbi tells of two attacks in one week as hate crimes rise
PARIS (Reuters) - A French rabbi was attacked on Friday for the second time in a week, he told Reuters, reflecting a broad rise in hate crimes across France that has included high-profile anti-Semitic assaults. Elie Lemmel said he was sitting at a cafe in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Friday when he was hit in the head by a chair. "I found myself on the ground, I immediately felt blood flowing," he said. He was stunned and unsure what exactly had happened, he said, initially thinking something must have fallen from a window or roof, before it occurred to him he had been attacked. "Unfortunately, given my beard and my kippah, I suspected that was probably why, and it's such a shame," he said. Friday's incident follows another in the town of Deauville in Normandy last week, when Lemmel said he was punched in the stomach by an unknown assailant. Lemmel said he was used to "not-so-friendly looks, some unpleasant words, people passing by, spitting on the ground," but had never been physically assaulted before the two attacks. The prosecutor's office in Nanterre said it had opened an investigation into the Neuilly attack for aggravated violence and that a person was being held for questioning. It said it could not provide further details. "This act sickens us," former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on X regarding Friday's incident involving Lemmel. "Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, is a deadly poison for our society." Last week, five Jewish institutions were sprayed with green paint in Paris. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the anti-Semitic attack that targeted a rabbi in Neuilly today. Attacking a person because of their faith is a shame. The increase in anti-religious acts requires the mobilization of everyone," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a post on X. France has seen a rise in hate crimes. Last year, police recorded an 11% rise in racist, xenophobic or antireligious crimes, according to official data published in March. The figures did not include a breakdown by attacks on different religions. (Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter, Antony Paone, Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Prisoner escapes gallows, gets seven years for killing cellmate
TAIPING: An oil palm plantation worker escaped the death penalty after the High Court here today sentenced him to seven years' jail on an amended charge of manslaughter involving the death of a detainee at Taiping Prison six years ago. Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin handed down the sentence on Mohd Nizam Shah Shahruddin, 40, after he pleaded guilty to the amended charge under Section 304(b) of the Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. He was previously charged under Section 302 for murder. The prison term was ordered to begin from the date of his arrest on Aug 29, 2019. Nizam was suspected of causing the death of Chua Teng Wooi, 41, at the Taiping Prison remand cell at about 9.30pm on the same day. Noor Ruwena said the decision was reached after considering the facts of the case, submissions by both the prosecution and defence, as well as the statements of the accused and witnesses. The court accepted that Nizam had raised reasonable doubt regarding any intent to kill, stating he was angered by the victim's behaviour and intended only to "teach him a lesson." According to the judge, testimony revealed that Chua had been beaten by multiple detainees in the remand cell due to his habit of defecating indiscriminately, believed to be caused by diarrhoea. The court also noted uncertainties over whether the accused and others were responsible for the lung injuries that caused the victim's death, citing testimony suggesting the injuries may have resulted from a fall in the prison toilet due to poor lighting. "The accused's statement that he had awakened other inmates to help the deceased after the fall, and had carried the deceased, was not disputed. The affidavit stating that other detainees had also assaulted the victim was similarly unchallenged," said Noor Ruwena. Deputy public prosecutor Sally Chay Mei Ling led the prosecution, while counsel Rajit Singh Tara Singh represented the accused.
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Former MACC chief questions legality of second seizure of Ilham Tower
Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad has questioned the legality of the second seizure of Ilham Tower, suggesting the move may exceed the bounds of Malaysian law. Now a practising lawyer, Dzulkifli pointed out that the asset had already been seized under Section 38(1) of the MACC Act on Dec 18, 2023. He said action under Section 38 requires the Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) to be satisfied that the asset in question - Ilham Tower - either constitutes the proceeds of, or is evidence related to, a corruption offence. "If no charges are brought or civil forfeiture proceedings initiated before June 17, 2025 - the end of the statutory 18-month period - it raises a fundamental question as to whether the original seizure was justified," he said in a statement today. Dzulkifli, the MACC's third chief commissioner, added that although the MACC Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) operate under different legal frameworks, two overlapping seizure orders on the same property may be seen as an overreach of authority. "This is because legal powers must be exercised based on necessity, fairness, and proportionality," he said. It was reported yesterday that Ilham Tower, located on Jalan Binjai, had once again been seized by MACC. The commission said it had obtained approval from the DPP to seize the building, which is linked to the late former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin. According to the agency, the latest seizure was carried out via an Immovable Property Seizure Notice dated June 4, 2025, under Section 51(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA). Dzulkifli said enforcement actions must be grounded in clear legal thresholds, not procedural convenience. "If AMLA is invoked merely to maintain control of the asset as the earlier MACC order nears expiry, it may undermine the rule of law and call into question the legitimacy of the original seizure," he said. He also noted that the absence of further action by June 18 would suggest that Ilham Tower was never genuinely linked to a corruption offence under the MACC Act. "This raises a critical question: why is there now a need for a new seizure order under Section 51 of AMLA? What new evidence, if any, justifies this action?" he asked. He added that the Ilham Tower case presents a significant test of how far enforcement and prosecutorial powers may be exercised within the law. "With the June 17 deadline approaching, all eyes are on the DPP's next move. Will there be a charge? Forfeiture? Or will the order lapse - signalling that the asset was wrongly targeted from the outset?" he said.
