Among the items for which Mr. Lopez won the award was the seizure of former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin’s flagship Ilham Tower, by the anti-corruption agency last year. The multi-million dollar commercial building in Kuala Lumpur City is one of the largest towers in the capital.
Mr Lopez spoke with financial officials close to the former politician, who wielded enormous power during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s two terms as prime minister. They told Mr Lopez that the seizure took place on December 21, following Mr Daim’s refusal to comply with requests from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to declare his and his family’s financial assets.
The breaking news story, published that day, made CNA the first to inform its readers.
Another article explained how former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had his 12-year prison sentence halved thanks to a royal pardon.
Najib was convicted in 2020 on corruption charges related to the 1MDB scandal and began serving his prison sentence in August 2022.
Mr. Lopez spoke to official sources, including senior government officials, ensuring that CNA was once again the first to wake up to the story.
These two exclusives were part of a dozen analyzes and articles by Mr. Lopez on Malaysia’s anti-corruption efforts and their effects on the political scene, the business sector and the investment climate.
Mr. Lopez is based in Kuala Lumpur. He has reported extensively on political and economic affairs in the region since the mid-1980s.
