MACC summons four more in Daim probe, lawyers claim not allowed to accompany clients

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) summoned four more individuals to its headquarters in Putrajaya in connection with the investigation against Tun Daim Zainuddin on Thursday (Jan 4).

The lawyers representing the four, Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Sohanpal, said the four were called in to have their statement recorded under Section 30 of the MACC Act.

"All four were cooperative and promptly appeared at MACC's headquarters despite being given less than 24 hours' notice," they said in a statement Thursday.

However, the lawyers claimed that MACC acted in an "oppressive and high-handed manner".

They claimed that one lawyer was with his client in the interview room when MACC officers told him to leave.

"The MACC prevented us from representing and advising our clients. This is extraordinary and uncalled for.

"The right to legal representation when questioned by enforcement bodies is fundamental to our criminal justice system," they said.

The lawyers also called on MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki to give a full explanation on the matter, as it involves the public interest.

On June 9, 2023, MACC deputy director (Legal and Prosecution Division) Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin had said that under the MACC Act 2009, there was no specific provision that granted the right to legal representation when recording a statement.

"The MACC Act allows an accused person to have a legal practitioner present during an examination under oath, but it does not explicitly grant the right to legal representation during other forms of interrogation or questioning," Wan Shaharuddin was reported as saying.

Earlier, Daim had hit out at the MACC over its investigations into him and his family, claiming that it was "nothing short of a witch-hunt".

The MACC said, in a statement on Dec 30, that the investigation into Daim was carried out based on existing law and information from the Pandora Papers.