Another former Malaysia prime minister faces criminal charges after leaving office

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged Thursday with failing to declare his assets, making him the nation's third leader to face criminal charges after leaving office.

Ismail, 66, pleaded not guilty to a charge under the anti-graft law that alleged he failed to provide a complete declaration of assets following a notice from the anti-corruption agency in January 2025. The charge sheet lists large amounts of cash in Malaysian and foreign currencies, as well as gold and silver.

If convicted, Ismail faces up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit ($24,810).

Ismail, the country's ninth leader, unexpectedly became prime minister without a general election after emerging as a consensus figure during a turbulent political period. He was the shortest-serving leader, leading for only 15 months from August 2021 to November 2022.

After leaving office, Ismail has been questioned multiple times by anti-graft officials for possible misconduct involving millions of dollars spent on government publicity during his tenure. The anti-graft agency has also seized gold bars and some $40 million in cash from properties linked to him.

Defense lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad said Ismail has been released on bail. Ismail will seek to clear his name as the charges were “baseless and unfounded,” the lawyer told reporters. The case will next be heard on Sept 29 for prosecutors to provide further details to the defense, he added.

Ismail was initially due to be charged Aug. 7 but it was postponed after he was hospitalized and underwent a pacemaker procedure for a heart condition.

Ismail's indictment followed that of his two predecessors.

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak is serving a reduced six-year prison sentence after his conviction in a case tied to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund. He was sentenced last year to a further 15 years’ imprisonment in his second and biggest graft trial linked to 1MDB, and still faces other proceedings.

Muhyiddin Yassin, who was the eight prime minister, is currently on trial over corruption and money-laundering charge.