PriyaPatelTLDR:
– Malaysia’s former finance minister, Daim Zainuddin, has been charged with failing to disclose assets following revelations from the Pandora Papers.
– The charges are part of an anti-corruption probe conducted by Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) after ties to offshore companies and trusts were exposed.
– Daim, who served as finance minister from 1984 to 1991 and from 1999 to 2001, denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.
– The MACC is also investigating another offshore family trust, worth $52.5 million, that was recently uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Malaysiakini.
– The high-profile MACC probe is part of a broader government crackdown on corruption in Malaysia.
– MACC has initiated inquiries into individuals named in both the Pandora Papers and the Panama Papers, and has so far questioned 10 people based on information from the ICIJ investigations.
– The former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s eldest son, Mirzan Mahathir, has also been asked to declare his assets by MACC.
