MACC seizes Ilham Tower again
Photo: AZMAN GHANI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The Deputy Public Prosecutor's office has given the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) the full legal authorisation to seize Ilham Tower again.
MACC said it had since ordered the immediate seizure of the 60-storey skyscraper through its investigating officer after authorisation was given.
It said that the seizure will be done under Section 51(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001.
'Through a notice of seizure of immovable property under the section on June 4, the authorisation for seizure was granted pursuant to the powers conferred upon the Public Prosecutor under Section 376(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593).
'This means the Deputy Public Prosecutor is satisfied with the information provided by the MACC related to an offence under Section 4(1) of the AMLATFPUAA 2001 for this case,' it said in a statement on Thursday (June 5).
It added that all dealings related to the 274m-tall tower's transfer of ownership would be prohibited with immediate effect.
This seizure comes after the tower, owned by the family of former finance minister the late Tun Daim Zainuddin, was originally seized by MACC in December 2023 due to an offence under the MACC Act 2009.
This was believed to be part of an anti-money laundering probe that started in late May involving a corporate transaction valued at RM2.3bil (US$500mil) in November 1997 involving public-listed Renong Bhd and United Engineers Malaysia Bhd (UEM), which were both linked with Umno.
On May 22, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said that eight investigation papers had been opened into the assets owned by Daim, his family and proxies, which had not been declared to the MACC during its initial 2023 investigation, due to having received new information from external agencies.
Then on Wednesday (June 4), the High Court allowed an application by MACC to freeze assets worth £132mil in London that were allegedly linked to Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid, wife of the late Tun Daim Zainuddin, and her family.
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