Business as usual at Ilham Tower, despite seizure

It is business as usual at the Ilham Tower, which was seized by the MACC yesterday.

Checks by KiniTV of the 60-storey building owned by the family of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin found staff working at the premises entering and leaving as they do on any normal day.

There were also no building seizure notices, tapes or enforcement personnel in sight.

About 10 media personnel were spotted across the building as early as 9am to catch the latest update on the case.

It was reported that the anti-graft agency seized the Ilham Tower yesterday.

The building is also where Daim, a close associate of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, chaired meetings of the now-disbanded Council of Eminent Persons during the Pakatan Harapan administration between 2018 and 2020.

According to a Channel News Asia report, the seizure came after the former minister refused to comply with requests from the MACC to disclose the financial holdings of both himself and his family.

The seizure is reportedly linked to an anti-money laundering investigation in late May into a corporate transaction worth RM2.3 billion in November 1997.

The transaction involved publicly listed Renong Bhd and United Engineers Malaysia Bhd (UEM).

The 81-year-old refused to comment on the matter, reported CNA.

Daim served as finance minister twice during Mahathir’s first tenure as prime minister from 1981 to 2003.

He also served as the chairperson of the Council of Eminent Persons when Mahathir became prime minister again in 2018.

Meanwhile, Astro Awani quoted MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirming the seizure, saying that it was related to Daim's wealth, but did not elaborate further.

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