Tun M says MACC has not asked him to declare assets

PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he has not been ordered to reveal his assets despite ongoing investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

In a recent interview with CNBC, Dr Mahathir said he would be willing to do so if requested.

“So far, they have only asked my sons to declare their assets.

“The investigation does not demand that I declare my assets,” Mahathir said, adding that he has “nothing to hide”.

“During my time, there was corruption. But I was not involved in corrupt practices.

“I made sure that even my family cannot be involved in a government business because I might be accused of nepotism,” the two-time former prime minister told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Thursday (May 23).

The 98-year-old also said he and his sons would fully cooperate with any inquiry from Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency.

This comes after MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki revealed on April 25 that Dr Mahathir was among those being investigated over the asset declaration issue.

Before that, Dr Mahathir’s sons, Mirzan Mahathir and Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, were served a notice by the MACC in January to declare all movable and immovable assets in their possession in the country and abroad within 30 days from the date of the notice.

The MACC then granted them a 30-day extension because of the extensive nature of their assets, which date back over 40 years.

According to a recent government report against corruption, Malaysia lost RM277bil ringgit to corruption from 2018 to 2023.

The report, “The National Anti-Corruption Strategies (NACS) 2024-2028,” was released on May 7 and highlighted that corruption had caused “undeniably severe” political ramifications for the country.