Dr M prods MACC over 'probe', asks if Anwar family wealth explained

Dr Mahathir Mohamad is prodding the MACC over its alleged probe of his wealth.

He also questioned whether his archnemesis, Anwar Ibrahim and the latter’s family also had their wealth scrutinised.

The MACC is in the midst of pursuing asset declarations from two of Mahathir’s sons - Mokhzani and Mirzan.

However, the duo allege that Mahathir is the real target of the graftbuster’s probe - a claim the MACC has neither confirmed nor denied.

In his statement today, the former premier said the MACC notice sent to Mirzan stated the commission had found that Mahathir had committed an offence under Section 23 of the MACC Act, which covers abuse of power.

“Thus far I have not been investigated, but the MACC notice says that I have committed an offence,” he said.

Mahathir said he had initiated a defamation suit against Anwar last year for alleging that he had billions in wealth.

“To this day Anwar has not been able to prove that I have billions of ringgit.

“This means there is no proof that I am guilty. If the MACC has proof then show it,” he said.

1999 statutory declaration

The 98-year-old also raised questions about Anwar’s wealth, referring to a statutory declaration by former Bank Negara assistant governor Abdul Murad Khalid who in October 1999 claimed that the PKR president had around RM3 billion in 20 separate personal accounts.

The MACC had in January said that its predecessor the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had probed the 1999 allegations against Anwar when Mahathir was prime minister.

The investigations found no case against Anwar.

The nonagenarian, however, was not satisfied with this.

“Regarding Murad’s statutory declaration, even though Anwar was not found in the wrong, why wasn’t Murad’s statutory declaration withdrawn?

“Has Anwar’s wife and children been ordered to explain their wealth?” he asked.

In 2012, it was reported that Murad retracted the statutory declaration while accusing the ACA of forcing him to sign the document.

Anwar, his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and their eldest child Nurul Izzah declared their assets before the 15th general election as part of PKR’s push to prove its transparency.

The Tambun MP himself declared at the time a net asset of RM11.18 million.

Wan Azizah’s net assets in 2022 were RM1.36 million while Nurul Izzah’s were RM808,761.

Mahathir’s last public asset declaration in 2019 placed his assets at the time at RM32.2 million. -Mkini