KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will give his statement as a suspect in a money-laundering probe at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)  in Putrajaya next Thursday.

The date to record his statement has been deferred from last Wednesday to Friday (7 March) and next Thursday (13 March) now.

He was on medical leave after being discharged from Sunway Medical Centre in Kota Damansara last Thursday (27 Feb), and the medical leave till this Thursday (6 March) was extended to next Wednesday (12 March).

Prior to recording Ismail Sabri’s statement next Thursday, it is learned that the MACC will meet Ismail Sabri’s doctor to record the latter’s statement to know Ismail Sabri’s health condition.

Ismail Sabri, 65, fainted at home and was rushed to Sunway Medical Centre in Kota Damansara at 2.30 a.m. on 22 February.

His condition was stable and he was discharged from the hospital on 27 February.

It was reported that MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia would be asked to provide details on the assets he had declared in February.

Azam was reported as saying that the former PM’s statement was needed in a corruption and money-laundering investigation, following the discovery of about RM170 million in cash in a safehouse after a MACC raid.

The focus of the investigation is on expenditure and procurement of funds for promotional and publicity purposes while Ismail was at the helm of the government.

So far, MACC has recorded statements from 31 individuals and frozen 13 bank accounts worth about RM2 million with all accounts being valid and active.

The MACC has previously seized about RM170 million in cash comprising various international currencies including Thai baht, riyal, pound sterling, won, euro, Swiss franc and Chinese yuan, as well as 16 kilogrammes of pure gold bars estimated to be worth nearly RM7 million.

The case is being investigated under the MACC Act and Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA).