The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized up to 4.8338 billion MYR in the first three months of this year, with the case of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri comprising a major portion, involving cash and gold bars valued at 1.77 billion MYR.
MACC Chairman Tan Sri Azam Baki stated that this amount is only the seized sum and does not include the amount frozen under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
He said this at a press conference on Thursday in Kota Kinabalu after officiating an anti-corruption awareness event.
Ismail Sabri, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bera, is accused of corruption and money laundering related to the "Keluarga Malaysia" campaign contracts during his tenure as the 9th Prime Minister from August 2021 to November 2022.
The MACC is investigating this case under the MACC Act 2009 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
Azam Baki said that during the same period, the amount frozen under the anti-money laundering act reached 5.4897 billion MYR; assets confiscated under the MACC Act 2009, the anti-money laundering act, and the Penal Code totaled 603,363.29 MYR; and the summonses amounted to 412,000 MYR.
He noted that during the said period, the MACC has opened 319 investigation files and arrested 401 individuals, with 146 of them charged in court.
“We are actively working to resolve these cases, aiming not only to prosecute but also to recover assets.”