Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who served as Malaysia’s Prime Minister for 15 months between August 2021 and November 2022, appeared in Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Thursday to face charges related to asset declaration failures. The 66-year-old pleaded not guilty to allegations that he concealed holdings valued at around $40 million, distributed across nine different currencies along with quantities of gold and silver bars.
According to his legal counsel, the charge centers on noncompliance with an official notice requiring him to declare specific assets to Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency. His lawyer indicated the defense would raise questions regarding the propriety and legality of the charge but declined to elaborate at that time. The court set bail conditions at 300,000 ringgit and declined a prosecution request to confiscate his passport, determining insufficient evidence of flight risk.
Ismail Sabri is scheduled to return to court on September 29. Should he be convicted, potential penalties include up to five years of imprisonment. He represents the third former prime minister in recent years to face criminal prosecution on corruption-related charges. His case follows those of Najib Razak, who is currently serving a reduced six-year sentence related to 1MDB fund misappropriation and faces additional proceedings, and Muhyiddin Yassin, who is actively on trial for corruption and money-laundering allegations. Last March, Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency announced that Ismail Sabri had submitted an assets declaration following an official directive as part of its broader investigation into alleged corruption and money laundering activities.
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