Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed that the amount of money taken out of the country to be hidden in offshore accounts is one of the highest in the world. Anwar said it was based on the disclosure of the Global Financial Integrity (GFI) report and the Pandora Paper which showed Malaysia in a relatively high position with several other countries.
“The amount from the previous GFI report to the Pandora Paper, from Malaysia is quite high when compared to the population and economic position. “The money taken out from illegal sources, most of them are quite high for this country,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today. Anwar said this in response to an additional question from Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PN-Kubang Kerian) who wanted to know whether the government would investigate all offshore accounts, including political funds from abroad.
The Tambun Member of Parliament said he assured to investigate all tax evaders, regardless of position. “All those who run away from taxes should be investigated. There is no exception from inside and outside the country, and some actions have already been taken. “But I assure you, from the point of view of the bodies, the instructions from me are clear. Do not take it lightly. The country can no longer afford to allow this to continue,” he said.
The Pandora Papers previously revealed about 12 individuals, including four politicians in Malaysia believed to be among dozens of leaders from around the world who used offshore tax havens to hide assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
In 2021, Anwar once proposed to debate the Pandora Paper issue in Parliament but was rejected by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Datuk Azhar Azizan.
