AZALINA CONFIRMS MACC INVESTIGATING ‘SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS’ NAMED IN PANDORA PAPERS – ‘THE PROBE FOCUSES ON CORRUPTION, ABUSE OF POWER & MISAPPROPRIATION OF FUNDS’

In a parliamentary written reply, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said, however, that the probe is still ongoing and it requires additional information from abroad.

“Aside from the MACC, there are several other agencies that are involved in the probe including Bank Negara Malaysia, Inland Revenue Board and the police,” she said.

Graft investigators have called in a former minister to explain claims made in the Pandora Papers.

It is learnt that the 84-year-old individual had his statement recorded recently.

Sources with knowledge of the case confirmed the former minister was asked, among others, to explain claims of money flow involving 12 offshore companies owned by him and his family.

“Investigators are looking at many angles but the probe is still in its early stages,” a source told The Star on Tuesday (Feb 14).

Azalina said that a special analysis working group under the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre has been formed to analyse the issue of continuous illicit financial flow.

“The approach of the analysis working group will be continued and strengthened,” she said.

“She also noted that for subjects that are still under evaluation of the investigation, enforcement action by the relevant agencies will be made according to existing procedures, based on the results of the assessment or the investigation,” said Azalina.

She added that all the relevant enforcement agencies will be given sufficient space to make their careful assessment and investigation before enforcement action can be taken.

The Pandora Papers are a data leak involving 2.94 terabytes of data which cited the opening of offshore accounts involving former and current government and political leaders around the world, including Malaysia.

Several Malaysian politicians were named in the Papers, which was released in 2021.

Police had also opened investigation papers to look into the allegations.

Then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said that the government would not interfere with the authorities pursuit of the case based on the information in the papers.

ANN

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