A Malaysian court deferred charges against former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Friday, August 7, 2026, as he was unable to attend his hearing due to hospitalization for a heart condition.

Ismail Sabri, 66, has been accused following the arrests of a senior aide and others in February 2026 over alleged abuse of power and money laundering. Authorities seized approximately 170 million ringgit (US$41.5 million) in cash and 16 kilograms of gold ingots valued at around 7 million ringgit, believed to be stored at an office used by Ismail Sabri’s aide as a safe house.

Amer Hamzah Arshad, Ismail Sabri’s lawyer, stated that his client was taken to hospital the day before after experiencing a health problem during questioning by anti-corruption officers. Amer informed reporters that Ismail Sabri was scheduled to undergo a pacemaker procedure on the afternoon of August 7. Additionally, Ismail Sabri had been briefly hospitalized two weeks prior due to a fall.

The 66-year-old is among the senior politicians involved in the government’s anti-misconduct crackdown under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Sources

South China Morning Post World