Malaysia ex-minister Daim Zainuddin slams PM Anwar Ibrahim for ‘political witch-hunt’ over corruption probe

A 58-storey building in Kuala Lumpur belonging to the close ally of ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad was seized as part of the investigation

Mahathir has sarcastically remarked that ‘suspicions alone should be enough’ to warrant the investigation against Daim

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Malaysia’s then finance minister Daim Zainuddin at a conference in Kuala Lumpur in 2001. Photo: AP

Published: 8:39pm, 28 Dec 2023Updated: 10:05pm, 28 Dec 2023

Embattled Malaysian former finance minister Daim Zainuddin on Thursday described the corruption probe into his wealth as a “political witch-hunt” maliciously driven by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the nation’s corruption body.

A close ally of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Daim has been at the centre of a corruption investigation which saw the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seize his 58-storey, 274-metre-tall Ilham Tower in central Kuala Lumpur on December 18.

Daim, 85, held the finance portfolio twice, between 1984 and 1991, when he was succeeded by Anwar, and from 1999 to 2001 after Anwar was sacked from power on grounds of corruption and sodomy.

In a punchy first public statement since the seizure of his tower, Daim “categorically” denied “any corrupt act or wrongdoing of whatsoever nature” by him or his family and instead accused Anwar of abusing his power to drive an investigation against a political rival.

Daim accused the prime minister of being in cahoots with MACC chief Azam Baki in “an organised effort to discredit” him by releasing misinformation and baseless insinuations to the media.

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