MACC to probe leak to politician over tycoon’s frozen accounts

MACC says it views seriously the leak of confidential investigation details.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed a report by FMT on exchanges between two top officials under the Pakatan Harapan government which led to the anti-graft body’s decision to unlock a tycoon’s frozen bank accounts, saying it is concerned about the leak of confidential details and the possible influence of politicians.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya said the agency would investigate how confidential details of its investigations into a tycoon over some RM4 million received from 1MDB were leaked to a politician.

“And the politician used his influence to lead the attorney-general (AG) to issue MACC instructions to release the tycoon’s four accounts,” he told FMT.

FMT reported today that former finance minister Lim Guan Eng had in 2019 asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to lift restrictions on the tycoon’s four bank accounts which were frozen to facilitate an investigation into money laundering.

The report said Lim last year asked then-AG Tommy Thomas to lift the freeze on the tycoon’s accounts.

Thomas responded two weeks later, informing Lim of case details and instructing MACC to lift the freeze.

This was despite MACC informing Thomas that the bulk of the money – some RM3.9 million – could not be recovered as it was no longer in one of the bank accounts said to have received the funds.

Khusairi confirmed that MACC had lifted the freeze on the tycoon’s accounts on the instructions of the AG at the time.

But he said MACC viewed seriously the leak of confidential investigation details.

“We will look into the leak of confidential investigation details to a politician in the interest of the person being investigated.” - FMT