PUTRAJAYA will order the relevant enforcement agencies including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), to investigate the revelations of offshore accounts in the Pandora Papers within a given deadline, de facto law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said.

“I give my assurance that I will invite all the relevant agencies such as the MACC, Bank Negara, the Commercial Crime Police Department and others, and instruct them to investigate,” he said during the question time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

“We will discuss a deadline for a response to be given to Parliament upon receiving the findings,” he added.

He said the MACC has also started collating more information on the expose by a journalists group before commencing investigation.

“MACC is also discussing with other related agencies, such as Bank Negara Malaysia, to ensure smooth coordination for the investigation,” the Santubong MP said.

Wan Junaidi said the government will not meddle in the investigations by authorities, if there are any reports on any individuals.

However, Wan Junaidi clarified that having offshore accounts is not an offencee according to the law, unless there is evidence of criminal activity.

He was responding to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s question on the government’s efforts to monitor illegal cash outflows and the value from 2008 to date and in ensuring that the credibility and integrity of the country’s administration are protected as several current and former members of the cabinet as well as lawmakers have been named in the leaks.

The Pandora Papers are an anonymous dump of 2.94 terabytes of confidential financial files to the Investigative Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The dump is made up of more than 11.9 million documents and records from 14 offshore service providers that set up and manage shell companies and trusts in tax havens around the globe.

Wan Junaidi added that the ICIJ had simply listed the owners and directors of offshore accounts and companies.

He said there could also be confusion between ICIJ’s findings with that of the Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a think-tank that researches illicit financial flows, corruption, illicit trade and money laundering – as both organisations are headquartered in Washington DC.

Anwar pressed the government to be firm with its position to investigate the outflow of illicit funds out of the country which spans over a decade.

“Investigate. It has been almost 10 years. Take action,” he said.

“This involves big names. Prove to Parliament with a report that they are innocent,” he added.

Wan Junaidi also gave his assurance that he will have a discussion with with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to ensure that those named in the Pandora Papers are allowed to give an explanation in Parliament.

He said this in response to Ahmad Maslan’s (Pontian-BN) supplementary question on whether those named will be giving an explanation in the August House as some are members of the current and previous administrations.

Among the names listed in the leaks were Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Umno chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, Deputy Finance Minister II Yamani Hafez Musa and Selayang MP William Leong. – October 25, 2021.