KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 27): Children of the late former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin have dismissed claims by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that they could not be located, calling the assertion “false and mischievous”.
In a statement on Friday, lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh, representing two of Tun Daim’s children, Muhammed Amir Zainuddin Daim and Muhammed Amin Zainuddin Daim, said the MACC’s public release of the names, photographs, and residential addresses of all four children — despite knowing they are represented by counsel and in communication with the commission — was reckless and unjustified.
“There was no refusal to cooperate, nor any evasion,” the lawyers said. Notices for interviews were served on the solicitors on Feb 25 for a session scheduled on March 11. Issuing a press release just two days later “gives the false impression that our clients are running away or absconding from any investigation,” they added.
The lawyers said the release appeared aimed at diverting attention from calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into allegations surrounding MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki and to smear the family.
“This is not a bona fide investigation but a trial by media and a transparent attempt to taint the reputation of the late Tun Daim and his children,” they said, stressing the conduct undermines the presumption of innocence and the rule of law.
They added that enforcement agencies must not act arbitrarily simply because they hold statutory power, and confirmed that their clients have always cooperated and remain prepared to do so through lawful channels. The lawyers said they are considering immediate legal action over the alleged defamatory publication.
Earlier on Friday, the MACC released a statement listing Tun Daim’s four children — Asnida Abdul Daim, Md Wira Dani Abdul Daim, Amir, and Amin — along with their last-known addresses in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, and the contact details of investigating officers, seeking public assistance to locate them.
The commission did not disclose further details of the ongoing investigations.