Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (June 9): Efforts to repatriate funds involved with the Pandora Papers to Malaysia is being undertaken in collaboration with countries involved, according to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. 

The law and institutional reforms minister said a comprehensive effort to track the money trail involving the Pandora Papers is being carried out by relevant enforcement agencies as part of investigations under the provisions of Malaysian law.

“It has to be done according to the existing investigation procedure, which is via the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (MLA) process,” she told Dewan Rakyat in a written reply on Thursday (June 8). 

She added that via this same procedure, countries involved will be requested to cooperate to, among others, identify the money trail as well as return the illicit funds to Malaysia.

This follows the joint-analysis coordinated by the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC) and involving various enforcement agencies being undertaken on Malaysian individuals exposed in the Pandora Papers.

For the joint-analysis, the Pengerang Member of Parliament said foreign enforcement agencies were cooperative when requested to supply information related to the individuals involved.

Azalina was responding to a question from Kampar MP Chong Zhemin in regards to the government’s efforts to track the money trail involved in the Pandora Papers, as well as whether countries involved are willing to cooperate in both the investigation as well as return of illicit funds.

Back in February this year, Azalina said several individuals named in the Pandora Papers were being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for alleged corruption, abuse of power, and misappropriation of funds.

Later in March, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said investigations involved politicians from both the government bloc as well as the Opposition, adding that it is up to the Attorney General's Chambers to press charges.

The Pandora Papers, a 11.9 million file dump of confidential financial documents from offshore service providers that set up and manage shell companies and trusts in tax havens, was published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in October 2021. 

Edited ByLam Jian Wyn
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