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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, has been named a suspect in an ongoing corruption case involving RM700 million, or approximately Rp2.5 trillion, in government funds.
Azam Baki, chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), confirmed this at a press conference on Monday, March 3, 2025, as reported by Channel NewsAsia. Ismail Sabri will be called in for questioning on Wednesday, March 5.
"In this matter, I can state that he is a suspect," he said to reporters a day after his agency confirmed that Ismail Sabri had declared his assets as part of the investigation.
Ismail Sabri served as the prime minister of Malaysia from August 2021 to November 2022, and currently serves as a Member of Parliament for the Bera constituency in Pahang.
The alleged RM700 million corruption is suspected to have been spent as part of the promotion campaign for his government's "Keluarga Malaysia" program, Azam confirmed, as reported by The Edge Malaysia.
The campaign, which translates to “Malaysian Family), is an idea put forward by Ismail Sabri in his inauguration speech as prime minister.
The program aimed to encourage the Malaysian community to work together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve collective prosperity. This slogan was later replaced by the "Malaysia Madani" when the current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took over.
During the press conference, officials displayed nearly RM170 million in various currencies, alongside 16 kilograms of gold bars worth nearly RM7 million that were seized.
Local media reported on Sunday that valuable items and assets were seized from three locations, including a "hideout" in Lembah Klang.
The seized cash included foreign currencies such as Thai baht, Saudi riyals, British pounds, South Korean won, euros, Swiss francs, and Chinese Yuan, according to Azam, as reported by New Straits Times.
MACC also froze 13 bank accounts totaling RM2 million on March 3. However, these accounts did not include the Yayasan Keluarga Malaysia account and Ismail Sabri's personal bank account, said Azam.
His agency has requested an explanation from the former prime minister regarding all the accounts involved, Azam added.
Last month, the anti-graft agency revealed that it was investigating allegations of abuse of power and embezzlement of public funds used to finance publicity drive led by Ismail's government.
Authorities detained four senior officials on February 23 who served in Ismail's government. MACC is attempting to record statements from seven to eight more individuals.
Azam added that MACC had taken statements from several senior officials who served during Ismail Sabri's tenure as prime minister, including his former private secretary Nazimah Hashim.
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