[UPDATED] Na'imah to challenge MACC's second seizure of Ilham Tower

New Straits Times

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid will challenge in court the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) second seizure of Ilham Tower.
In a statement, her lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal described the repeated action as "pure harassment" and accused the MACC of acting beyond the bounds of the law.
"This is the most ridiculous action yet taken by the MACC. The same building has already been seized, and yet it is now being seized again. Is the MACC playing musical chairs with the law?" the statement read.
The lawyers also criticised the authorities for allegedly targeting Na'imah's late husband, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, despite no corruption charges having been brought against him.
"It bears repeating that, despite the prime minister and the MACC chief's repeated allegations and insinuations against Daim, no offence of corruption has been brought against him.
"Now, having failed to bring any charges, they are harassing our client with a second seizure," they said.
They added that the move, without any evidence of wrongdoing, violated the rule of law and amounted to persecution.
Earlier, the MACC said it had been authorised to seize Ilham Tower once again, a building owned by Daim's family.
The commission said it had obtained authorisation from the deputy public prosecutor.
According to the MACC, the seizure was based on a Notice of Seizure of Immovable Property under Section 51(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA), dated June 4.
It added that authorisation for the seizure was granted pursuant to powers conferred on the public prosecutor under Section 376(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Ilham Tower, located in downtown Kuala Lumpur near the Petronas Twin Towers, houses a four-star hotel, office spaces, a gallery, and other facilities.
This is not the first time the MACC has seized the
In December 2023, it was reported that the MACC had invoked its powers to seize ownership of the multi-million ringgit tower. Sources said the seizure period was 18 months, the longest ever obtained by the commission.
It was understood that the move was part of the MACC's investigation into a corporate transaction valued at RM2.3 billion involving publicly listed Renong Bhd and United Engineers Malaysia Bhd (UEM).
A news portal had reported that the seizure was linked to Daim's refusal to comply with MACC requests to declare his and his family's financial holdings.
However, the MACC had previously seized various immovable properties, including land, fishing vessels, and oil tankers, as part of its investigations.
The seizure notice for Ilham Tower was dated Dec 18, 2023, and published as an advertisement in several newspapers, including the New Straits Times, on Dec 21 the same year.