Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he was ready to be prosecuted for abuse of power if a gift of timber to the Zimbabwean president was considered an offence.

Mahathir was reacting to a row over his admission that Malaysia had given Robert Mugabe timber for a lavish 25-bedroom mansion he is building while critics say Zimbabwe is plunging into economic chaos.

The former prime minister said that presenting gifts was common practice among world leaders, adding: "But if this is considered an offence, I'm prepared to be prosecuted for abuse of power."

"It will not be a problem to me. I don't consider myself immune from the laws of this country," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Mahathir said that the sawn timber, used for wall panelling in the nine-million-dollar mansion, was worth less than RM100,000.

Mugabe said in a recent interview that the Malaysian and Chinese governments provided partial funding for the mansion near Harare, without making clear whether timber was the full extent of Malaysia's involvement.

The revelation sparked a political row in Malaysia as opposition party leaders and rights groups expressed outrage at Kuala Lumpur's support for Mugabe, who is accused of rigging elections to stay in power.

Mahathir, who retired last October after 22 years as premier, was an ally of Mugabe's, with the two men sharing a love of anti-Western rhetoric stoked by a history of British colonialism in both countries.

Mahathir said he did not see what was sent to Mugabe but thought the gift was in the form of sawn timber.

"It was not given personally by me using government money to Mugabe. The Malaysian government presented him the gift by virtue of his position," he said.

The government, however, has made it clear there is no chance of prosecuting Mahathir, regarded as a national hero after leading Malaysia into the mainstream of Asian development.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said: "I am sure it was done with the best of intentions because we want to build linkages with the African countries. There is nothing illegal. The matter shouldn't be made a major issue." - AFP