Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency orders ex-PM Mahathir’s son to declare assets amid widening probe

Malaysia’s anti-graft body on Thursday ordered Mirzan Mahathir, the son of former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, to declare his assets within 30 days, as corruption probes strike bitter rivals of current prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Mirzan, 66, is the eldest son of two-time prime minister Mahathir, the 98-year-old who was once a mentor to Anwar, but later jailed him after a rancorous political split.

The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) issued a 30-day ultimatum for Mirzan to declare his assets – domestic and overseas – as part of its investigation into revelations from the Panama Papers, as well as an undefined sale and purchase of some government-linked corporations (GLCs).

“MACC has started investigations in October 2022 against all entities named in the Pandora as well as Panama Papers,” the commission said in a statement on Thursday.

The Pandora Papers is a massive leak of financial documents in 2021 which exposed the offshore financial activities of politicians, celebrities, and business leaders around the world. In it, former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, his family and associates were reported to have amassed at least £25 million (US$32 million).

Critics say Anwar, who came to power just over a year ago, is settling scores with rivals who derailed his efforts to reach power in the past and ultimately helped jail him.

Daim, who served in the older Mahathir’s first cabinet in the late 1990s, is the biggest name to fall under investigation for corruption so far.

Mahathir’s son is a director of several companies, including Philippine oil and gas company Petron and its parent company San Miguel.

In 1998, the Post reported that cash-stricken Mirzan sold off his Hong Kong-Malaysian liquidised natural gas company to state-owned Petronas, a move seen as a father-son bailout, as Petronas answers directly to the prime minister – Mahathir.

Aside from Mirzan, his brother Mokhzani also made his fortune off oil and gas, with Forbes naming him as one of Malaysia’s 50 richest people in 2020.

Mahathir has long maintained that his children’s fortunes have been legitimately made.

‘I always owned assists’: Malaysia’s Daim says wealth amassed before politics

Anwar has laughed off talk of a conspiracy to take down his rivals.

“We are not representing a broken system, and our system must show examples of taking brave action against the corrupt,” the prime minister said, drawing the 1MDB scandal as an example.

He, however, also said there were criminal elements behind Daim’s “extraordinary wealth”, describing it as “an open secret”.

Back in 2022, Anwar had also said Daim, his predecessor and successor at the finance ministry, “would have sleepless nights” if he became prime minister.