Malaysia Charges Third Ex-Prime Minister With Graft

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged Thursday with failing to declare his assets, making him the third Malaysian leader to face criminal charges after leaving office.

Ismail, 66, pleaded not guilty. The charge, brought under the country's anti-graft law, alleges he failed to give a complete declaration of assets after a notice from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in January 2025.

The charge sheet lists large sums of cash in Malaysian and foreign currencies, along with gold and silver. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit — about $24,810.

Who He Is

Ismail was Malaysia's ninth prime minister and its shortest-serving one, in office just 15 months from August 2021 to November 2022.

He never won the job at the ballot box. He became prime minister without a general election, emerging as a consensus figure during a turbulent stretch of Malaysian politics.

The Pattern

Ismail's indictment follows those of both men who held the job before him.

Najib Razak is serving a reduced six-year 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 in his second and biggest 1MDB graft trial, and still faces other proceedings.

Muhyiddin Yassin, the eighth prime minister, is currently on trial on corruption and money-laundering charges.