Cabinet Ministers Assets Declaration Made Public?

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today requested all his new cabinet ministers and deputy ministers to made asset declarations public on yearly basis.

The issue now is whether will this new directive from the prime minister only limited to assets in Malaysia? Or will this directive from prime minister also cover assets located in overseas? Will assets held by Muhammad Taib in Australia and New Zealand be exempted from this assets Declarations directive.

Muhammad Taib was acquitted by an Australian court of two charges of making false declaration pertaining to the amount he brought into the country December 16, 1996 and failure to declare 1.26 million Australian dollars at Brisbane airport when he left Australia for New Zealand six days later.

Interestingly, it was Muhammad Taib admission during the trial at the Brisbane District Court that he bought several properties worth more than 17 million ringgit in Australia and New Zealand under the name of his wife Asbi Rohani Asnan.