KUALA LUMPUR: The seizure notice for the 60-storey Ilham Tower pertains solely to the suspension of the transfer of property ownership and does not extend to other business activities within the building.
Senior lawyer Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent said the sentence "prohibiting all transactions related to the immovable property" in the notice only meant that the building owners cannot sell or transfer ownership of the building.
He explained that it would be business as usual for other activities within the building, which houses a four-star hotel, offices and a gallery, among others.
"It (the notice) refers to the fact you cannot transfer ownership or sell (the building)," he said to the New Straits Times.
Earlier today, a check by NST revealed there were no seizure notices or tapes around the compound of Ilham Tower which is owned the family of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized the Ilham Tower through a seizure notice dated Dec 18.
It was published as an advertisement in a local news portal yesterday and the NST today.
It was signed by MACC deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib and made under Section 38(1) of the MACC Act 2009, addressed to the Property Rights Registrar, Lands and Mines Office of the Federal Territories.
According to a report by Channel NewsAsia (CNA), financial executives close to Daim mentioned that the former politician received an order from the MACC in late May.
The directive required Daim to disclose his financial holdings and other assets belonging to his family members.
However, Daim reportedly rejected these demands.
In May, it was reported that the MACC had opened several investigation papers against a "Tan Sri" business figure and a former senior minister in relation to the embezzlement of national funds worth more than RM2.3 billion.
Daim was one of at least 10 wealthy Malaysians named in the Pandora Papers, which shed light on offshore companies and trusts used to stash away fortunes and evade taxes.
The NST has reached out to MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki for comment.