PM Anwar Orders Investigation Of Pandora Paper On Alleged Corruption Scandal A Number Of Figures

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Parliament. (Wikimedia Commons/Twitter @anwaribrahim)

JAKARTA - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has instructed related agencies to continue a thorough investigation into the Pandora Paper which published allegations of the involvement of a number of figures in the country in abusing power to enrich themselves.

"My instructions to these bodies are to continue a thorough investigation and I ask the Honorable and fellow members of parliament (as many as) these 222 people to take a firm stance, don't protect and after an investigation continue to deny this intention," Anwar said in a hearing. opinion at the People's Council building, as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, 21 February.

He asked that if there is evidence, there are facts, then action must be taken. However, if an action is taken without facts then it may be considered as an abuse of power or just a political motive.

"But if billions or hundreds of millions of ringgit are issued (then) protected because they support us, it will bring destruction and disaster to our country," said Anwar.

He said there were 3,000 names mentioned in the Pandora Paper, but the investigation involving the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and the Home Affairs Agency (IRB) focused on major figures in Malaysia, including the former prime minister and a former finance minister who is alleged to have abused his power to enrich himself while in office.

According to him, the agencies currently carrying out investigations certainly need more sophisticated steps, for example, related to cyber security, to anticipate the enactment of efforts to avoid cash transactions with bitcoin or other digital currencies.

Anwar said that he had received reports of actions and efforts to identify the alleged abuse of office, and that some had even been summoned by agencies regarding accounts containing hundreds of millions of ringgit money stored abroad. All are under investigation.

Anwar said the amount of money associated with Pandora Paper from Malaysia is quite high in value when compared to the country's population and economic ranking, although the amount is higher in big countries such as China and Saudi Arabia.

He also said that most of the money taken out of the country came from prohibited activities. "Most of them are illegal. But I can't say all of them (illegitimate), this is up to the agency conducting the investigation."

Anwar said he would ensure that the investigation regarding this issue would not be carried out haphazardly to teach all parties a lesson that the government would not allow this to continue.

The Pandora Paper is a publication of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) which contains 11.9 million confidential financial documents from graduate countries. The leaked records belong to 14 offshore service companies from around the world that set up shell companies for their clients who wanted to "keep in check" their financial activities.