19-1-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid, wife of Tun Daim Zainuddin, strongly criticizes a report that quoted leaked documents regarding her family’s offshore accounts and wealth, describing it as a form of character assassination.
In a statement released on Friday (Jan 19), Toh Puan Na’imah addressed the news report published by an online portal, which claimed that leaked documents revealed an offshore trust worth hundreds of millions owned by her family. She expressed her dissatisfaction with the sensational manner in which the report was presented, aiming to insinuate wrongdoing or possession of illicit wealth. She clarified that her family’s overseas assets were acquired through legitimate business and investment activities that predate Daim’s entry into politics in 1984. Notably, the report does not make any concrete allegations of criminal activity, raising questions about its purpose.
Toh Puan Na’imah emphasized that it is unethical and unjust to tarnish someone’s reputation by including insinuations and allegations without evidence to support the report. She questioned whether such reporting could be considered character assassination disguised as news coverage. Furthermore, she questioned the justification for discussing anyone’s private financial holdings, regardless of the accuracy of the details, in a manner designed to imply serious impropriety.
She accused the news report of intending to fuel prejudice, rumors, and assumptions against her family. The report, published on Jan 18, cited documents from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) that originated from a Cayman Islands financial services firm. It alleged that Daim’s family were beneficiaries of a trust holding assets valued at US$52.5 million (RM146.21 million) as of 2020.
Last month, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized the family-owned Ilham Tower as part of its ongoing investigations.
The statement by Toh Puan Na’imah serves as a strong rebuttal to the report’s claims, highlighting the need for fair and evidence-based reporting to prevent the spread of baseless allegations and reputational damage.
