KUALA LUMPUR — Asnida Abdul Daim, daughter of former finance minister the late Tun Daim Zainuddin, is set to be charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court tomorrow over an alleged failure to comply with an asset declaration notice issued by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Her lawyer, Yu Ying Ying, said Asnida would be charged under Section 36(2) of the MACC Act 2009, according to local media reports.
However, the lawyer alleged that the process changed after her client’s statement was recorded under Section 53 without legal counsel present.
“This denies my client’s rights as provided under Section 53,” she said when contacted here on Monday.
Section 36(2) of the MACC Act 2009 relates to the offence of failing to comply with a written MACC notice requiring the declaration of assets.
Those found guilty of non-compliance may face up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of not more than RM100,000, or both.
Earlier, MACC officers recorded Asnida’s statement at the commission’s headquarters for nearly five hours, beginning at 10am.
She was seen arriving at about 9.50am in a sport utility vehicle accompanied by her two lawyers.
It was previously reported that the MACC had issued notices to trace Daim’s four children after they allegedly failed to respond to and comply with two official notices related to asset declarations.
Besides Asnida, the three others are Md Wira Dani, Muhammed Amir Zainuddin, and Muhammed Amin Zainuddin.
The notices were issued to assist investigations under Section 36(1)(b) of the MACC Act 2009.
According to the MACC, the move came after no response was received and attempts to contact all four had failed as of February 26.
The commission also said the children’s lawyers had earlier informed investigators that their clients were abroad and that they too had difficulty reaching them.
The three siblings were also expected to appear to give statements on Monday, but they were not seen at the MACC headquarters.
The MACC has yet to release an official statement on the matter.
On February 27, the MACC said it had issued Individual Trace Notices against Daim’s four children following their failure to respond to and comply with two earlier official notices.
The broader Op Godfather investigation is being conducted under Sections 23 and 36 of the MACC Act 2009, as well as Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
The MACC stressed that the Individual Trace Notice is not a form of punishment or a wanted list, but rather a procedural mechanism to locate individuals and secure their attendance to assist investigations.
The probe into Daim and his family began after the 2021 Pandora Papers revelations by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which alleged the existence of offshore companies and assets linked to them and their business associates.
The disclosures formed the basis of preliminary intelligence before the MACC formally opened its investigation paper in 2023.
Between June and November 2023, the MACC also served notices under Sections 36(1)(a) and 36(1)(b) of the MACC Act 2009 on Daim, his wife, Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid, and their children for the purpose of asset declarations. – April 6, 2026