Putrajaya, Malaysia – Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has denied partaking in corruption, saying he earned his cash from his wage throughout his decades-long political profession and most of it’s “now gone”.
In an unique interview with Al Jazeera, Mahathir, who’s below investigation by the nation’s anticorruption company, hit out at present Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over remarks that implied that he had used his time in workplace to complement himself and his household.
“I am curious as I have not seen this money and don’t know where they are. If I had taken the money, tell the court how you [Anwar] conclude that I had taken the money,” stated Mahathir, 98, who’s pursuing a 150 million ringgit ($32m) defamation motion towards his protégé-turned-rival.
Mahathir, who led Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and once more from 2018 to 2020, stated he was prepared to go to Switzerland with Anwar to search for banks the place he might have stashed away his cash.
“If we can find such a bank, I will withdraw 100 percent of the money and give it to the Malays,” Mahathir stated.
Mahathir additionally accused Anwar of concentrating on his two eldest sons, Mirzan Mahathir and Mokhzani Mahathir.
Anwar, who served as Mahathir’s deputy in the course of the Nineties, has denied concentrating on political rivals and stated he doesn’t intervene within the authorized course of.
“As he [Anwar] stated, he had files, boxes, documents which shows I have taken money. Well show, if you have the boxes, show them. But until now, he has not shown [the boxes]. Instead, he has tried to bypass [that] and now, he is going after my children Mokhzani and Mirzan,” Mahathir stated.
In January, the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Fee (MACC) ordered Mirzan Mahathir and Mokhzani Mahathir to declare their belongings as a part of inquiries prompted by the Pandora and Panama Papers leaks.
The anticorruption company in April confirmed that it was investigating Mahathir as a part of the probe.
Mahathir stated he doesn’t profit from his sons’ enterprise actions.
“They don’t give me money from their business,” he stated.
Malaysia’s long-serving chief stated he forbade his sons from doing enterprise within the nation whereas he was in workplace as he didn’t wish to be accused of nepotism.
“Mokhzani only succeeded in business after I stepped down. During the time I was prime minister, he was not well-known for being a successful businessman. He was employed by petroleum companies as he was trained in that field,” Mahathir stated.
Addressing the supply of his wealth, Mahathir stated that he earned a month-to-month wage of 8,000 ringgit ($1,700) when he first grew to become prime minister, rising to twenty,000 ringgit ($4,240) by the point he stepped down in 2020.
“For me, that was a fantastic sum… a very big sum of money,” stated Mahathir, including that he was paid 2,000 ringgit ($420) a month when he began out as a medical physician in personal observe within the Fifties.
Mahathir stated that he was additionally supplied with advantages, together with a home and a automotive, which helped him to spend short time in workplace.
“They paid for my electricity, water bill… government gives me transportation, cars and drivers. I don’t have to pay anything,” Mahathir stated.
“Even flying, the planes were at my disposal. So what I needed in terms of doing my work as a prime minister were all provided for by the government and the salary I got. I saved it for over 29 years – from being a minister of education to retiring as a prime minister.”
In 2018, Mahathir declared belongings value 32.35 million ringgit ($6.9m).
Mahathir stated that when he first stepped down as prime minister in 2003, he rejected a suggestion from the federal government for a free piece of land in Putrajaya, a metropolis about 25km (15.5 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur.
“I said no, I don’t take free land. So I bought the land. I paid 1 million ringgit [$212,000] for 5 acres [2 hectares] of land. It is on record that I did not take a single cent from the government,” Mahathir stated.
Mahathir stated he spent most of his cash popping out of retirement in a bid to take away then-Prime Minister Najib Razak from energy because the multibillion greenback 1MDB monetary scandal unfolded.
The elder statesman contested the 2018 normal elections below the banner of the Malaysian United Indigenous Social gathering, which he based after leaving his longtime political car UMNO, the biggest celebration within the then-governing Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
On the age of 92, Mahathir went on to steer the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition to a shocking victory over BN, which had ruled the Southeast Asian nation with out interruption since its independence from the UK in 1957.
Mahathir resigned in 2020 amid inner tensions inside his PH authorities.
In 2022, Anwar was elected prime minister following two short-lived premierships below the banner of Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“Unfortunately, when I was out of the government and I was involved in politics, I don’t have any other source of money except my own… I spent most of the money on politics,” he stated.
“My party had no money. People don’t donate to the opposition party.”
On Najib, who’s searching for to serve the rest of a six-year jail sentence below home arrest after being convicted for his position within the 1MDB scandal, Mahathir stated the previous prime minister mustn’t obtain particular remedy.
“Staying at home means you are free. You don’t come out of your house, but you are free. When you steal billions and you are very well-treated, it is a bad example for future leaders,” Mahathir stated.
In February, Malaysia’s pardons board halved Najib’s jail sentence to 6 years and lowered his 210 million ringgit ($60m) superb to 50 million ringgit ($10.7m).
“They are going to reduce the sentence until it becomes meaningless,” Mahathir stated.
“When you give this kind of concession, pardon, reduce the sentence by half and you talk about house arrest, you are not punishing. You are treating this man who has stolen billions of dollars differently.”
