KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s anti-graft investigators have questioned former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, as part of a probe into possible misconduct involving some RM700 million (S$200 million) spent on government publicity during a previous administration.
In a statement late on Jan 10, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said it had recorded a statement from Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri in relation to the alleged spending, without providing further details.
A representative for Mr Ismail did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The questioning of Mr Ismail comes amid a widening crackdown by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on alleged graft among top politicians, though some critics have accused the Premier of targeting rivals.
In December, the MACC said it was investigating former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, a key ally of former premier Mahathir Mohamad, based on information contained in the Pandora Papers.
The Pandora Papers, a massive leak of financial records in 2021, revealed offshore assets held by politicians and public figures worldwide.
The MACC on Jan 11 said it had also questioned Tun Daim’s wife Naimah Khalid and his two sons as part of its probe.
Mr Daim has described the probe against him as a “political witch hunt”, while his wife told reporters on Jan 10 that the former minister was being targeted for his success as a businessman.
Datuk Seri Anwar and Tun Dr Mahathir have been locked in a decades-long, off-on rivalry that saw Mr Anwar, a one-time protege of the elder statesman, jailed for sodomy and corruption, charges he said were politically motivated.
Mr Anwar was pardoned and became prime minister in 2022 after more than two decades as an opposition leader, vowing to combat corruption and focus on the economy.
But a string of dropped corruption cases involving figures allied to his coalition has raised questions over his commitment to fighting graft, with lawmakers and analysts warning it could risk alienating voters and jeopardise his reform agenda. REUTERS
