KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged on Thursday with failure to declare assets, the third former premier prosecuted in recent years over alleged graft-related offences.
Ismail Sabri, who was Malaysia's prime minister for just over 15 months from 2021 to 2022 during a period of political upheaval, was accused of concealing assets that consisted of local and foreign currencies as well as gold bars and silver.
Ismail Sabri's defence counsel Amer Hamzah Arshad said at a press conference that the charge was essentially a failure to comply with a notice to declare certain assets.
"We will be studying the charge and as we informed the court, we are raising certain concerns about the propriety and legality of the charge but we won't go into detail here," he said.
Ismail Sabri pleaded not guilty at a lower court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday and was released on 300,000 ringgit ($74,534) bail. If convicted, he faces jail of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit.
The anti-graft agency in March last year said Ismail Sabri had submitted an assets declaration after being ordered to do so as part of its investigation into alleged graft and money laundering, following the seizure of nearly $40 million in assets allegedly linked to him.
Cash amounting to 170 million ringgit in various currencies and 16 kg of gold bars were seized following the raids, the agency said at the time.
A trained lawyer, Ismail Sabri has served in various roles in politics, including lawmaker and cabinet minister under three prime ministers, with portfolios that included rural and regional development, agriculture and domestic trade.
($1 = 4.0250 ringgit)
(Reporting by Ashley Tang; Editing by Martin Petty)
