Daim Zainuddin says wealth amassed before entering Malaysian politics amid probe: ‘I always owned assets’
- Daim said he stood to gain more wealth had he not joined politics, amid a probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)
- The MACC recently seized the family-owned Menara Ilham skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur
According to Daim, he was a “fairly successful and wealthy businessman” whose involvement in business was the subject of books and articles before his appointment as a minister.
“I have always owned assets and properties overseas since the 1970s,” he said in his supporting affidavit.
If I had stayed in business and done nothing to actively grow these assets, the value of my liquid stock holdings alone would be worth over 50 billion ringgit today
The affidavit was filed together with an application by Daim and his family members for leave to commence judicial review to challenge a probe against them by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
His background in business has always been in the public domain and Daim said he stood to gain more wealth had he not joined politics.
“If I had stayed in business and done nothing to actively grow these assets, the value of my liquid stock holdings alone would be worth over 50 billion ringgit (US$10.8 billion) today.
“That is my personal cost today in my decision to join the government.
“As the numbers above show, my decision to join the government and serve my country came at a great financial loss to myself and my family,” he said.