Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has declared his wealth to authorities as part of an ongoing corruption and money laundering probe. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said it is investigating government publicity expenditure and procurement during Ismail’s premiership, which lasted from August 2021 to November 2022.
Ismail was questioned by MACC investigators in January last year over possible misconduct involving 700 million ringgit ($157 million) spent on government publicity. He formally submitted his wealth declaration to authorities on February 10, as ordered by the agency.
The MACC also recorded a statement from Ismail on February 19 and may call him back for further questioning. Four senior officials who served under Ismail were detained, and raids were conducted at four premises. Cash worth 170 million ringgit in various currencies and 16 kg of gold bars were seized during the raids.
The investigation is ongoing, with authorities continuing to scrutinize Ismail’s assets and those of his former colleagues. The MACC has not released further details on the seized cash and gold, but the probe highlights concerns over corruption and money laundering in Malaysia’s government.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/malaysias-ex-pm-ismail-declares-wealth-anti-graft-agency-amid-seizure-assets-2025-03-02