Wife of former Malaysian finance minister Daim Zainuddin charged with failing to declare assets as anti-corruption advocates siege on Anwar's rival

Naima, 65, has pleaded not guilty. Her court released her on a bail of RM250,000 (US$52,800) and seized her passport. If found guilty, she faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit (US$21,117).

Former Malaysian minister Daim accuses Prime Minister Anwar of 'political witch hunt' over investigation

Naima's lawyer argued that she is not a flight risk and may need to accompany her husband for treatment abroad.

“She is not going anywhere. She is here to stay and fight the case,” said her lead lawyer Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden.

Dime has reportedly been hospitalized since last week for an undisclosed medical condition.

The charges came a week after another court heard a challenge to MACC's asset investigation by Mahathir's longtime ally Daim and his family.

Former finance minister Dime denies wrongdoing but says MACC's actions are illegal and unconstitutional.

Mr. Anwar dismissed allegations of political retribution, saying his government needed public support for its efforts to push through government reforms and tackle Malaysia's endemic corruption.

“If there is no political support for this, I ask for the full support of the people, at least on issues of governance and demands for change,” he was quoted as saying at an event for the national newspaper Bernama on Monday.

But Mahathir said the corruption crackdown was just a pretext for Anwar and his government to “make sure I'm guilty” of crimes, and that Anwar's government does not have majority support. He claimed it was meant to be hidden.

Mahathir slams critics of Malaysia's ethnic minority groups as 'racist'

Malaysian politics has been shaped by a bitter feud between the two leaders for more than two decades, since Mahathir sacked Anwar as deputy prime minister in 1998 during his first term as prime minister and later charged him with corruption and sodomy. Ta.

Anwar and his supporters claim the charges were trumped up to end his political career. He was released from prison in the early 2000s, but was imprisoned again for another sodomy conviction.

Anwar was released under a royal pardon in 2018 at the start of Prime Minister Mahathir's second term.