Malaysian agency to forfeit RM177 million linked to ex-PM probe: report
[KUALA LUMPUR] The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) plans to seek forfeiture of RM177 million (S$54 million) in assets and cash it seized in its probe into former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the New Straits Times reported.
The deputy public prosecutor will file for the forfeiture within two weeks, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki was cited as saying on Wednesday (Jun 25). The probe focused on allegations of graft and money laundering related to funds used for publicity and promotion while Ismail was in office. Azam said the investigation has been completed.
Ismail, 65, Malaysia's shortest-serving prime minister, held the post from August 2021 until dissolving Parliament in October 2022. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation, part of the ruling coalition.
Ismail is among a group of former prime ministers to be ensnared in the MACC's dragnet as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim seeks to clamp down on corruption. Ismail's direct predecessor, Muhyiddin Yassin, is facing graft charges in court, while Najib Razak, another former premier, is in prison for crimes related to the state investment fund 1MDB.
Malaysia's former two-time prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, is under a separate investigation. BLOOMBERG
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
Malaysia's anti-graft agency targets ex-finance minister Daim Zainuddin's US$1b assets: NST
Malaysia's anti-graft agency is targeting assets worth at least 4.5 billion ringgit (S$1.36 billion) in five other countries belonging to the late tycoon and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, the New Straits Times reported. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission plans to send a restraining order request to the respective countries using the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 2002, the newspaper cited the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner Azam Baki as saying. The agency will work with foreign authorities to obtain more information such as the source of funds and a money trail analysis, he added. The MACC had last week filed a forfeiture application for a skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur owned by Daim. It also obtained a restraining order in Malaysia against assets belonging to Daim and related parties in the UK worth 700 million ringgit. Daim, who twice served as finance minister in former premier Mahathir Mohamad's governments, died in November. After Anwar Ibrahim became prime minister in 2022, the MACC started graft investigations into both Mahathir and Daim. Daim and his wife were charged in January 2024 with not declaring their assets as part of the probe. They pleaded not guilty. Mr Anwar is pursuing 'vendettas of the past,' Daim said in a statement at the time. Mr Anwar has denied this. More on this Topic Former Malaysia finance minister Daim Zainuddin acquitted of all charges a week after his death Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business Times
Cambodia's Hun Sen urges change in Thai leadership over border dispute
[PHNOM PENH] Cambodia's most influential politician called for a leadership change in Thailand, citing doubts about the prime minister's ability to manage a border dispute between the two countries. 'I hope there will be a new prime minister in Thailand who will come out and solve issues with neighbouring countries, especially with Cambodia,' former Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday (Jun 27) during a nearly four-hour televised address. With that, 'I don't think we will still be confrontational.' Cambodia's provocations add to the worries of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whose government nearly collapsed this month after a leaked call with Hun Sen was released in which she criticised her army, prompting a key coalition ally to defect. Paetongtarn has resisted calls to resign and her coalition allies have pledged to remain for now. On Monday, Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission opened a preliminary investigation into the prime minister over the leaked call. Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades, is the father of Prime Minister Hun Manet and currently serves as Senate president. On Friday, he threatened to release potentially sensitive content from a private conversation he had with Thaksin Shinawatra, the patriarch of Thailand's ruling party and father of the prime minister. He accused Thaksin of insulting Thailand's king – a crime punishable by prison. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said Hun Sen was trying to stir tensions and urged Thais not to listen to him. 'Regarding current attempts to sow divisions in Thai society through the circulation of inciteful content in social media, the Thai Government would like to reaffirm that it will use only official channels to communicate with the Cambodian Government,' the Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on its website on Friday. Cambodia has banned imports from Thailand, including fruit, vegetables, electricity, Internet services, and even Thai television dramas and films. Paetongtarn's government responded by restricting border crossings in seven provinces and halted exports, including fuel. Hun Sen's spokesman, Chea Thyrith, clarified the remarks, stating that he wanted to work with a new government in Thailand. 'The current government does not have enough power to make decisions in consensus to represent Thailand in solving border disputes,' he told Bloomberg. 'We are happy to work with every new government that has enough power to represent Thailand.' BLOOMBERG
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- AsiaOne
Loan shark allegedly razes 3 houses, vehicles in Penang; victim claims wrong address, Malaysia News
He did not owe debts to moneylenders, but still found himself a victim of their harassment. Three houses and nine vehicles in Penang were recently destroyed in a blaze believed to be the alleged work of a loan shark. The fire, which broke out at about 4.50am on Tuesday (June 24), engulfed three terrace houses and gutted five cars and four motorcycles, reported Bernama. Seberang Prai Utara district police chief Anuar Abdul Rahman confirmed they had received a report from one of the victims, who believed loan sharks had purposefully started the fire. A warning note addressed to a debtor had purportedly been found at one of the affected houses a week ago. In a viral Facebook post uploaded on Wednesday, a user named Mohamad Asrul claimed to be one of the fire victims. He said that he and his neighbour had discovered petrol and paint outside their homes on June 16, with a bottle of leftover petrol and a letter left at the gate of his neighbour's property. The note was addressed to someone else living in the same neighbourhood and contained the individual's name and identification card number as well as with a threat to burn down the house. Asrul said they lodged a police report on the same day. A week later, his neighbour's home was torched, with flames spreading to other houses and destroying them too. He wrote in his post that he and his neighbours were not the ones who had borrowed from loan sharks, but had still become victims. District police chief Anuar said they are probing the incident and investigating it as a case of criminal intimidation, according to the New Straits Times. [[nid:713902]]
