PETALING JAYA: The Deputy Public Prosecutor has given the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) the go-ahead to seize Ilham Tower – owned by the family of the late Tun Daim Zainuddin – for a second time.
MACC said it had since ordered the immediate seizure of the 60-storey skyscraper under Section 51(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Amla).
ALSO READ: MACC gets nod to freeze assets of Daim’s wife
"Through a notice of seizure of immovable property under the section on June 4, the authorisation for seizure was granted pursuant to powers conferred upon the Public Prosecutor under Section 376(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
"This means the Deputy Public Prosecutor is satisfied with the information provided by the MACC related to an offence under Section 4(1) of Amla for this case," it said in a statement on Thursday (June 5).
It added all dealings related to the 274m-tall tower's transfer of ownership would be prohibited immediately.
ALSO READ: Daim’s Ilham Tower seized by MACC
Ilham Tower, owned by Daim's family, was first seized by MACC in December 2023 in its anti-money laundering probe involving a corporate transaction of RM2.3bil (US$500mil) in November 1997 involving public-listed Renong Bhd and United Engineers Malaysia Bhd (UEM), both linked to Umno.
On May 22, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said that eight investigation papers had been opened into the assets owned by Daim, his family and proxies, which had not been declared to the MACC during its initial 2023 investigation.
ALSO READ: Daim family assets frozen to prevent disposal during probe, says MACC
On Wednesday (June 4), the High Court allowed an application by MACC to freeze assets worth £132mil in London allegedly linked to Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid, wife of the late Daim and her family.
