Pejuang wants MACC, AG to answer if Daim stole public funds

Editor’s note: An earlier version mistakenly attributed this article to Dr Mahathir Mohamad. That version has been unpublished. The error is regretted.

Pejuang is not prepared to allow the authorities to close the lid on the accusations against former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who passed away on Nov 13.

Information chief Rafique Rashid Ali demanded Attorney-General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar and MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki to answer if Daim had stolen public funds.

Without mentioning Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, he said the government’s leader continues with the rhetoric that he would combat corruption until the funds embezzled from the people are recouped.

“What happened to the efforts to reclaim the public money which past leaders had purportedly stolen when in power?

“The attorney-general and MACC chief must issue an official statement. Did Daim steal public funds in the billions?” Rafique (above) asked in a statement.

This was after the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court cleared Daim of alleged failure to abide by an MACC notice to disclose his assets and discharged and acquitted him per Section 254(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, as applied for by the prosecution.

Rafique said as long as there is no specific official statement on this matter, the public would be left wondering about the truth.

“The statement does not have to be technical from a legal perspective. (Answering if) Daim stole or not is sufficient,” he added.

Clearing his name

Rafique also noted that Daim’s widow Na’imah Abdul Khalid did not want the case to be closed either so that her husband’s name could be cleared.

“The people are encouraged to think about this,” he added.

Following Daim’s death, his long-time friend and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the deceased should have been glorified for his contributions but was instead vilified.

“I am sad beyond words. He should be lauded for his contributions to the struggle (for race, country, religion).

“But at the end of his life, he was condemned for no reason. No reason! Save for vengeance,” he added.

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