Three former Malaysian prime ministers—Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob—appeared separately at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex on August 27, 2026, each facing charges linked to corruption and financial misconduct [1, 2, 3, 4].

Najib Razak is being sued in a civil case filed by 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) at the High Court. The suit alleges breach of trust, abuse of power, and conspiracy to misappropriate approximately US$5.64 billion (around RM25 billion) from the state fund [2, 3, 4].

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is on trial for seven charges related to the Jana Wibawa government programme. These include four counts of abuse of power involving gratuities estimated between RM225.3 million and RM232.5 million directed to his party Bersatu, as well as three money laundering charges concerning roughly RM200 million [1, 2, 3, 4].

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged on the same day at the Sessions Court under Section 36(2) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009. He faces allegations of failure to declare assets, including millions of ringgit in local and foreign currencies and five gold bars. Ismail Sabri pleaded not guilty [1, 2, 5, 3, 6, 4].

The MACC seized about RM170 million in cash in various currencies and 16 kilograms of gold bars valued at roughly RM7 million in March 2026 related to Ismail Sabri’s case [2, 5, 3].

On October 1, 2025, the court ordered forfeiture of RM169 million in cash allegedly linked to Ismail Sabri after no third parties challenged the claim [5].

An unidentified former minister is scheduled to be charged on August 28, 2026, at the Sessions Court under Section 16 of the MACC Act 2009, related to solicitation and giving of gratification. This offense carries a maximum 20-year prison term and a fine of at least five times the gratification amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher [7, 8, 6, 9, 10].

Separately, three prominent business figures—a CEO of an investment bank, a female corporate director with a Datuk title, and a CFO of a private higher education institution—will face corruption charges at Sessions Court and courts in Kuala Lumpur and Seremban on August 28. The investment bank CEO’s case involves alleged bribes of approximately RM130 million, while the CFO faces charges related to RM6.56 million in bribes [11, 12].