KLANG, Jan 20 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said that investigating high-profile individuals is a difficult task to carry out.

He said that it is not easy to conduct a probe on tycoons accused of stealing taxpayers’ money but it is still something that needs to be done.

Anwar in his speech at the National Ponggal Celebration held at the Klang Municipal Council Square here said it is "odd” that the government is being reprimanded for taking action against such individuals.

"We will go after the crooks, I don’t care... When we want to take action (against these individuals), the people get angry, saying that this prime minister is too harsh. For me, this is strange; you should support it (investigations) It's not easy, you know, to investigate a Tun.

"Investigating a village chief is easy, investigating a school teacher is even easier. I want to investigate the big shots who steal big money... think it's easy? It's not. We want to protect this country, don’t let them steal the people’s wealth,” he said.

On January 17, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed that they had taken statements from a former prime minister's son believed to be related to his business dealings in the late 1990s.

Earlier this week it was widely reported that former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin is being investigated by the MACC over the sources of his wealth.