KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will challenge the charge he faces over failing to declare assets, including RM14.7 million in cash, millions more in foreign currencies, and five gold bars.
His lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad said the defence will file the application once it has received and reviewed all case documents.
"There are several legal issues we will raise. We will certainly challenge the reasonableness and validity of the charges," he said after the case mention before Sessions Court Judge Suzana Hussin today.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ifa Sirrhu Samsudin told the court that the prosecution handed over some case documents to the defence today.
Five volumes have been submitted under Section 36 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, including seizure and asset declaration documents belonging to Ismail Sabri.
"Therefore, we request that the court fix a mention date for the handover of the remaining documents and the witness list," she said.
Amer confirmed receipt of the five volumes and requested that the balance be handed over before the next mention date. The court then fixed December 4 for the case mention.
Ismail, 66, is accused of failing to declare cash totalling RM14,772,150; SG$6,132,350; US$1,461,400; 3,000,000 Swiss francs; €12,164,150; ¥363,000,000; £50,250; NZ$44,600; 34,750,000 UAE dirhams, and AU$352,850.
He is also accused of failing to declare five 1kg Petak Suisse Fine Gold bars, one 100g Petak Suisse Fine Silver bar, and one 5g 999 Fine Gold coin. The assets were all listed in an MACC notice dated January 10, 2025.
The offence is alleged to have been committed at MACC headquarters, No 2, Lebuh Wawasan, Presint 7, Putrajaya, on February 7, 2025
Ismail was charged under Section 36(2) of the MACC Act 2009, which carries a maximum jail term of five years and a fine of up to RM100,000 upon conviction.
