Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, 66, was formally charged on August 27, 2026, at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for failing to comply with a notice to declare assets under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 [1, 2, 3]. He pleaded not guilty to the single charge, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a RM100,000 fine [3, 4].
The alleged offence occurred on February 7, 2025, at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya, when Ismail Sabri is accused of deliberately not declaring cash in various currencies as well as gold and silver bars [3, 4, 5]. The undeclared cash totals RM14.77 million in Malaysian ringgit plus substantial amounts in Singapore dollars, US dollars, Swiss francs, euros, Japanese yen, British pounds, New Zealand dollars, Emirati dirhams, and Australian dollars [3, 6]. The undeclared precious metals include five 1-kilogram gold bars, one 5-gram gold coin, and a 100-gram silver bar [3, 4, 5].
Earlier in 2025, MACC seized about RM170 million in cash in multiple foreign currencies and roughly 16 kilograms of pure gold bars worth approximately RM7 million during raids tied to investigations involving Ismail Sabri and his senior aides [1, 2, 7, 8, 4, 5]. A Sessions Court forfeiture proceeding in October 2025 ordered over RM169 million in cash to be forfeited to the government, though no prosecution followed at that time [6].
Ismail Sabri was initially scheduled to be charged on August 7, 2026, but the charge was postponed due to his health. He underwent surgery for arrhythmia including implantation of a leadless pacemaker at the National Heart Institute that same day [1, 2, 7, 3, 4]. Sessions Court Judge Suzana Hussin acknowledged his health condition when allowing the reading of charges and plea recording to be rescheduled for August 27 [2].
On arraignment, Ismail Sabri appeared in good spirits, supported by family, lawyers, and about 50 supporters in the court complex [9, 6]. Despite being charged, he remains out on MACC bail with no concerns about absconding [2, 7, 8].
Lawyers for Ismail Sabri described the prosecution as puzzling, noting that the seized assets are already in government possession and forfeited during a proceeding last year without prosecution. They said they will scrutinize the charge and reserve the right to challenge its validity [6].
The same day, two other former Malaysian prime ministers, Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin, faced separate legal proceedings in the same court complex [10, 11]. Najib is involved in a civil suit demanding US$5.6 billion.
The next scheduled court date or hearing has not been announced.
