Citing a source, Utusan Malaysia reported that the 84-year-old former minister had his statement taken after he was called in for questioning at MACC’s headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday morning.

The source said the former minister’s statement was believed to have been centred around explaining the financial flow of 12 offshore companies linked to him and his family, who are suspected of possessing “extraordinary wealth”.

“It is understood that MACC’s investigation is focused on tracing the assets and investments linked to the leader and his family abroad, and whether they were gained through government projects,” Utusan Malaysia quoted the source as saying.

“MACC is still tracing the existing assets in addition to examining the flow of financial transactions of offshore companies linked to the leader.

“It is likely that there will be more individuals called in relation to the Pandora Papers.”

The report said MACC will also be recording a statement from the son of a former prime minister today.

The source added that MACC’s investigation is still at an early stage, and so far, no bank accounts have been frozen.

The Pandora Papers refer to the millions of leaked documents put together by an international consortium of investigative journalists and made public in October 2021 that allegedly reveal offshore accounts of present and past leaders, including presidents, prime ministers, billionaires and prominent business people.

The data leak is the biggest of its kind and involves nearly 12 million documents and other records from offshore service providers who help set up and manage shell companies around the world.

The Malaysians who have been linked to it include former finance ministers Daim Zainuddin and Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, PKR’s Selayang MP William Leong, as well as parents of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho.