Daim’s wife, Naimah Khalid, claimed the report was “sensational” and gave the impression that the assets were illegally obtained.

In a statement, Naimah maintained that their offshore assets were never a secret and that they were the result of legitimate business activities and investments, prior to Daim’s entrance into politics in 1984.

“The fact is that the report did not suggest any criminal elements, which raises this question, why was the report published?

“It is wrong and unethical to publish a news report that tarnishes a person’s good name through implicit accusations and negative impressions without solid evidence.

“In fact, it veers towards character assassination masquerading as a news report,” she said.

She added that the report will only cause further speculation and prejudice against her and her family.

Naimah is believed to be referring to a Malaysiakini report that Daim’s wife and their two sons, Amir Zainuddin and Amin Zainuddin, were the beneficiaries of a multimillion-dollar offshore trust.

Citing documents shared by the Investigative Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ), the report stated that the papers showed that ZA Star Trust listed the trio as its beneficiaries. The documents were reportedly leaked from a financial services firm in the Cayman Islands.

Daim is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) based on information from the Pandora Papers leak, which linked several prominent Malaysians to offshore tax havens.

Last week, the graft busters quizzed Naimah and their two sons to provide information on assets belonging to the family.

In a statement later, MACC said a notice was served on Daim under Section 36(1)(a) of the MACC Act 2009 on June 7, 2023. His family members were served notices under Sections 36(1)(b) of the same Act.

Daim and his family have filed an application in court for a judicial review to challenge the MACC investigation, claiming that the probe was unconstitutional.