Daim's wife pleads not guilty to asset disclosure charge
Na’imah Abdul Khalid was charged under Section 36(2) of the MACC Act 2009 at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court this morning.
The 66-year-old was alleged to have committed...
The wife of embattled tycoon Daim Zainuddin has claimed trial to failing to abide by a MACC notice to disclose her assets.
Na’imah Abdul Khalid was charged under Section 36(2) of the MACC Act 2009 at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court this morning.
The 66-year-old was alleged to have committed the offence by giving a sworn written statement that did not comply with the MACC notice under Section 36(1) of the MACC Act.
Accused of committing the offence between Dec 13 and 14 last year, she may be jailed for up to five years and fined up to RM100,000.
The assets she allegedly did not disclose involved multiple lands, properties, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
According to the annexure attached to the charge and read out in court, among the eight properties allegedly involved are Ilham Tower in Kuala Lumpur, a house in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, as well as six plots of land - five in Kuala Lumpur and one in Penang.
Among other alleged items involved in the non-disclosure are concerning two companies, namely Ilham Tower Sdn Bhd and Ilham Baru Sdn Bhd.
The prosecutor also applied for the accused’s passport to be surrendered to the court, and for her to report to the nearest MACC office once a month.
‘Not a flight risk’
However, defence counsel Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden pleaded for bail at RM250,000.
The former solicitor-general pointed out that there is no need for the additional bail terms of surrendering the passport and reporting to the nearest MACC office because the accused has made it clear she will stay put to fight the charges in court.
“This is not an offence involving violence, thus she is not a flight risk.
“She is not going anywhere, she will stay to fight her case (in court),” Yusof said.
READ MORE: Another Daim-linked trust worth hundreds of millions revealed in new leak
Na’imah’s co-defence counsel M Puravalen pleaded for the court to not impose a passport-surrendering bail condition, because she may need to make overseas travel on short notice to accompany her husband, who has a serious medical condition.
Judge Azura Alwi set bail at RM250,000 with one local surety, and ordered Na’imah to surrender her passport to the court, pending disposal of her case.
Azura also set March 22 for mention of the case.
Later just before noon today, Puravelan confirmed that Na’imah had posted bail.
