KUALA LUMPUR: Several individuals named in the Pandora Papers are being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), for allegations of corruption, power abuse, and fund misappropriation.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said investigations were ongoing and authorities needed additional information from abroad.
"Apart from the MACC, other agencies are also involved in the investigations, including Bank Negara Malaysia, Inland Revenue Board, and the police," she said in a Parliamentary written reply.
She was responding to a question from Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang), who had asked the prime minister to state if the government would reopen cases under the Pandora Papers.
She added that a special analytical working group under the coordination of the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre had been established to continuously analyse the issue of illicit financial flows.
"For subjects that are still under evaluation or investigation, enforcement by the relevant agencies will be made according to existing procedures, based on the results of the evaluation and investigation.
"Enforcement agencies will be given the space to make thorough assessment and investigation before any action is taken."
In October 2021, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, or ICIJ, made up of 600 journalists across the world, leaked 11.9 million documents and records from 12 offshore service providers that set up and manage shell firms and trusts in tax havens worldwide, including the Cook Island and British Virgin Islands, or BVI.
The leak made headlines worldwide and was called the Pandora Papers.
At least 10 wealthy Malaysians, including businessmen and politicians, were named in the Pandora Papers, which shed light on offshore companies and trusts used to stash away fortunes and evade taxes.
Yesterday, it was reported that a high-profile individual who served under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed's administration was being investigated by the MACC over matters highlighted in the Pandora Papers.
A source close to the investigation confirmed to the New Straits Times that the commission resumed investigations into the offshore wealth of the 84-year-old former minister, as alleged in the Pandora Papers reports in October 2021.