PUTRAJAYA, Sept 9 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today confirmed that more than RM169 million in cash seized from former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his former political secretary now officially belongs to the government.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said this followed the pair’s decision not to contest the prosecution’s application to forfeit the funds.
“Officially, the money now belongs to the government, and the process of transferring it into the consolidated fund begins today and may soon be reflected in the government’s account,” he said at a press conference here.
However, Azam said the Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) has yet to decide whether to bring charges against any party in the case.
“That’s up to the DPP’s decision. As for now, they agreed to forfeit the money,” he added.
According to Bernama, on July 7, MACC applied to forfeit over RM169 million in cash allegedly belonging to Ismail Sabri, seized from Mohammad Anuar, to the Malaysian Government.
The application was made under Section 41(1) of the MACC Act 2009 after the commission was satisfied that the money kept by Mohammad Anuar belonged to Ismail Sabri and was linked to an offence under Section 36(2) of the same Act.
The cash includes RM14,772,150; SGD6,132,350; USD1,461,400; CHF3 million; EUR12,164,150; JPY363,000,000; GBP50,250; NZD44,600; AED34,750,000; and AUD352,850.
Additionally, MACC seized 16kg of pure gold bullion, estimated to be worth RM7 million, as part of the ongoing corruption and money laundering probe involving the Bera MP.
The raids that led to the discovery of the cash and gold were carried out at several premises, including private residences and offices believed to be used as “safe houses”, following investigations into four of Ismail Sabri’s senior aides, who were detained earlier in February.
In another development, Azam said the investigation into former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s assets in the United Kingdom is still ongoing.
“We are gathering detailed information from external parties, particularly from the UK authorities, regarding assets owned by Dr Mahathir. If recovery is possible, we will provide further updates,” he said.
