THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is welcome to probe PKR if the party is found to be involved in abuse of power or misappropriation of funds, party president Anwar Ibrahim said. 

The prime minister told the Dewan Rakyat that he has no issues with the anti-graft agency if it wants to investigate PKR and instructed the body to conduct their duties when necessary. 

“During a meeting this morning with all these (anti-corruption) bodies, I told them that I do not care which parties (the accused) are from.  

“Even if they are from PKR itself. I cannot guarantee that the party is 100% clean,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the Tambun MP also said that he has ordered the relevant authorities to continue their probe into prominent individuals named in the Pandora Papers. 

He said that agencies like the police, national anti-financial crime centre (NFCC), Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), MACC and Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) have been updating him on the progress of their investigations. 

“There are those who have been summoned by the Inland Revenue Board and MACC to explain the hundreds of millions being stored in offshore bank accounts, as well as the source of these funds. 

“Investigations are ongoing, and I am satisfied with the steps taken by the authorities,” Anwar said. 

Anwar was responding to Noraini Ahmad (Parit Sulong-BN) who asked the prime minister to explain what Putrajaya was doing to restore public confidence following the Pandora Papers revelations. 

In October 2021, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (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 managed shell firms and trusts in tax havens worldwide, including the Cook Island and British Virgin Islands. 

The leak made headlines worldwide and was called the Pandora Papers. 

It was reported that 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. 

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said had recently said investigations were ongoing and authorities needed additional information from abroad. – February 21, 2023.