A Malaysian court on Thursday charged the country's former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob with failing to declare his assets, local media reported.
The 66-year-old ex-premier pleaded not guilty to the charge, according to daily Malay Mail.
He is accused of failing to declare local and nine foreign currencies, as well as five gold bars to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
If convicted, he can be punished with a maximum five-year jail term and a maximum fine of approximately $25,000 dollars.
The judge, after hearing arguments from the prosecution and defence, allowed Ismail to retain his passport, declaring that there was no proof to suggest the accused posed a flight risk.
The next hearing of the case was fixed for September 29.
Ismail Sabri served as Malaysia’s ninth prime minister from August 2021 to October 2022 during a period of political upheaval.
The anti-corruption agency in March last year said Ismail Sabri had submitted an assets declaration after being ordered to do so as part of its investigation into alleged corruption and money laundering, following the seizure of nearly $40 million in assets allegedly linked to him.
Two former premiers Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin have been prosecuted over corruption-related offenses in recent years.
