'Suspicious' assets of the Tuns should be seized, Tun M says

PETALING JAYA: Those with the Tun title should be investigated and have their property seized if they failed to explain the source of their wealth, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The former prime minister said that obtaining evidence of the misdeeds is unnecessary, as "suspicion" alone should be enough.

"The Tuns should not only be investigated. They should also be remanded until they reveal the source of their money. If they don’t reveal, it must be because they are hiding," he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Dec 27).

Dr Mahathir also emphasised that corruption at all levels must be wiped out at all cost.

"If the Attorney General (AG) is of the opinion that the accusations are due to politics, it is the right of the AG not to continue prosecution. Passports should be returned. This is the right of the AG. The courts must not question the decision of the AG," Dr Mahathir wrote.

He added that if the country truly follows the rule of law, even a first offender must accept the full force of the rule of law.

"If whipping is mandatory then the offender must be whipped. In Malaysia the law is supreme. We must all abide by it," said Mahathir.

On Dec 21, the iconic 60-storey Ilham Tower - owned by the family of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin - was seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

According to the Commission's notice, the move was taken after it found an offence under the MACC Act 2009.

Built at an estimated cost of RM2.7bil, the tower is located in the prime commercial and high-rise residential area around the KLCC.

Singapore-based Channel News Asia quoted financial executives close to Daim as saying that the seizure took place after Daim refused to submit to MACC’s petition to declare his and his family’s financial holdings.