KUALA LUMPUR – Enforcement agencies have frozen RM4.3bil in assets and seized a further RM1bil in their efforts to tackle money laundering and corporate-related offences over the past four years.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said RM48.3mil had also been forfeited, while compounds totalling RM1.1bil were imposed between 2022 and September this year.
The measures were part of a broader crackdown on financial crimes, including stock market manipulation, corporate disclosure breaches and illegal moneylending involving threats, he told the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Oct 20).
Giving an update on enforcement efforts, Anwar said the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) had initiated 239 criminal charges against 50 individuals since 2023.
Investigations into several corporate transactions were ongoing, including those involving oil and gas services company Serba Dinamik and engineering and construction company Sarawak Consolidated Industries Berhad, he added.
He also cited Ops Viking, a money laundering case in which 70 people have been investigated as of this year.
Authorities froze or seized eight properties, 11 vehicles and hundreds of financial accounts in connection with the operation, he added.
These included 417 accounts, comprising stock trading and Central Depository System (CDS) accounts, as well as 404 bank accounts holding RM85.6mil.
Separately, Anwar said asset and fund recovery efforts by Bank Negara Malaysia, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and other relevant agencies had yielded RM37.53bil.
Of this, RM28bil went towards settling debts owed by 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Anwar said the government would continue to pursue cases involving abuse of power and breaches of the law in the corporate and business sectors.
Any further action would be determined by the progress of investigations and prosecutions, he added, noting that the relevant agencies would also assess whether details of individual cases could be made public.
He stressed that transparency and accountability among enforcement bodies, including Bank Negara Malaysia, the SC, the MACC and the Royal Malaysia Police, remained important in ensuring that investigations and enforcement measures were conducted responsibly.
ANN/The Star