Malaysia’s anti-graft agency turns up the heat on Singaporean businessman over decades-old multi-million dollar transactions
Property developer Akbar Khan was temporarily detained and questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. The 83-year-old played a key role in the late 1990s in the repatriation of frozen CLOB shares valued at over US$4 billion.
(CNA) – Singaporean businessman and prominent Malaysia property developer Akbar Khan is under investigation on allegations of money laundering and corruption by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
MACC investigators temporarily detained Mr Akbar, who is the main shareholder of high-end developer BRDB Developments Sdn Bhd, for questioning last week after raiding his home and business premise in the capital Kuala Lumpur, senior sources from the agency and lawyers familiar with the situation told CNA.
Apart from freezing the business and personal accounts of the businessman, the MACC also ordered Mr Akbar to declare his assets and the financial holdings of his family, the sources added.
The 83-year-old Mr Akbar declined to comment on the MACC probe when contacted by CNA.
“As this is an ongoing matter, we refrain from commenting on specific details. Our primary focus remains on ensuring a fair investigation,” noted a spokesperson in Mr Akbar’s office.
MACC sources said the businessman is expected to be recalled by the agency for more questioning in the coming days together with other former close associates.
They played crucial roles in the repatriation of frozen shares valued at US$4 billion that were once listed in Singapore’s now-defunct over-the-counter market that traded mainly in Malaysian shares called Central Limit Order Book, or CLOB, and a controversial transaction involving the change of shareholding at conglomerate Multi-Purpose Holdings Bhd (MPHB) in the late 1990s and 2000.
Mr Akbar is the latest in a growing cast of business personalities who have been ensnared in the MACC’s widening investigation on former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.
