Daim’s wife set to ‘fight the charge’

PUTRAJAYA: Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid, the wife of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, will be charged today for failing to declare her assets.

And she has vowed to fight the case in court.

It is learnt that she will be brought to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court at 9am and be slapped with the charge under Section 36 (2) of the MACC Act.

A check with the court efiling system showed that the case will be at Sessions Criminal Court 9 before Judge Azura Alwi.

Sources familiar with the case said that only Na’imah would be facing charges although the couple’s two sons were also questioned with her by graft investigators after being summoned to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here on Jan 10.

They were called in to give their statements to ascertain the value of some of the high-value assets, both domestic and abroad, held under the companies belonging to them in relation to investigations into the former finance minister.

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MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, when contacted, confirmed that Nai’mah would be charged today.

In December, the MACC seized the family-owned Menara Ilham as part of its investigations.

The MACC previously said investigations against Daim were based on existing laws and information from the Pandora Papers.

The anti-graft body explained that as part of the investigation, a notice was served on Daim on June 7, 2023, under Section 36 (1) (a) of the MACC Act 2009.

Following the seizure of Menara Ilham, Daim hit out at the MACC investigations on him and his family, claiming it was nothing short of a political witch-hunt due to the “animus” of the Prime Minister.

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On Jan 10, Daim and his family filed the application for leave to commence a judicial review against MACC’s probe on them.

In the application, Daim and Na’imah named the MACC and public prosecutor as the first and second respondents respectively.

Na’imah said she was informed that she would be charged today.

“This was despite the fact that I assured them I would give a statement as soon as my husband’s medical procedure was over on Tuesday (today).

“I asked for the charge to be done a day later on Wednesday, but this was refused.

“They insisted I be charged (today).”

“I will be in court and I will fight this charge,” she said in a statement issued yesterday evening.