Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been named a suspect in a corruption case involving RM700 million ($157 million) in government publication contracts during his 14-month tenure.
At a press conference on Monday (March 3), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Azam Baki announced that Ismail would be summoned for questioning on Wednesday (March 5).
The summons follows MACC’s recent seizure of RM170 million in cash, both in local and foreign currencies, as well as 16 kilograms of gold bars valued at RM7 million from a condominium.
“On February 10, Datuk Seri Ismail declared his assets. We recorded his statement on February 19. The questioning lasted about four to five hours,” Azam said.
Ismail Sabri served as Malaysia’s ninth prime minister from August 2021 to November 2022. Azam stated that Ismail is under investigation as a suspect of corruption under Section 36 (1) of the MACC Act. Authorities plan to question him on Wednesday regarding the RM177 million in seized assets.
Seized Assets
MACC has also detained four former senior aides of the 65-year-old ex-prime minister on February 21 and raided four locations in connection with the investigation.
During the investigation, authorities discovered cash and gold bars hidden in three safes at one of the raided locations. Among the seized cash in the form of foreign currencies were Japanese yen, British pounds, euros, UAE dirhams, as well as Singapore, U.S., and Australian dollars.
“Of the RM170 million seized, only RM14 million was in Malaysian ringgit,” Azam said, as reported by The Straits Times. Additionally, several pieces of jewelry whose value is still being assessed were found at the site and also being seized.
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Furthermore, 13 bank accounts belonging to the suspects, holding a total of RM2 million, have been frozen. However, Azam noted that Ismail Sabri’s personal accounts and the Malaysian Family Foundation’s accounts remain active.
Ongoing Investigation
MACC has so far summoned around 10 witnesses for questioning and plans to call in seven to eight more in the coming weeks. Azam emphasized that the investigation has been ongoing since early 2024. The MACC had requested Ismail Sabri to declare his assets as early as November last year.
He also dismissed allegations of political motives behind the corruption case investigation on the former Malaysian Prime Minister, stressing that MACC operates independently and without external influence.
“Do you think this is a politically motivated investigation? I don’t think so. We operate professionally and fairly, regardless of a person’s position. No one ordered us to do this. We are acting based on our investigation and the information we have,” he stated.
(Raidi/Agung)
