Malaysia's Ex-PM Ismail Sabri Charged Over Asset Declaration
Former Malaysian PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob pleads not guilty to failing to declare assets, becoming the third ex-leader charged post-tenure.
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob appeared in court on Thursday to face a charge of failing to declare his assets, marking the third time in recent years that a former leader of the country has been criminally prosecuted after leaving office.
The 66-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge brought under Malaysia's anti-graft legislation. The case stems from a notice issued by the country's anti-corruption agency in January 2025, which required him to provide a full declaration of his holdings. The charge sheet reportedly lists substantial sums of cash in both Malaysian ringgit and foreign currencies, along with quantities of gold and silver.
If found guilty, Ismail could face a prison term of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit (approximately $24,810).
Ismail's tenure as the nation's ninth prime minister was brief, lasting just 15 months from August 2021 to November 2022. He assumed office without a general election, emerging as a consensus candidate during a period of significant political instability. His time in power makes him the shortest-serving leader in the country's history.
Since leaving office, Ismail has been questioned on multiple occasions by anti-corruption investigators over potential misconduct related to government publicity spending during his premiership, which allegedly involved millions of dollars. The anti-corruption agency has also previously seized gold bars and cash amounting to roughly $40 million from properties linked to him.
His indictment follows legal troubles for his two immediate predecessors. Najib Razak, the sixth prime minister, is currently serving a reduced six-year sentence for his role in the massive 1MDB state fund scandal. He was also handed an additional 15-year sentence last year in a separate graft trial connected to the same case, with further proceedings still pending.
Muhyiddin Yassin, the eighth prime minister, is also standing trial on charges of corruption and money laundering.