Overview
- The charge against former prime minister Ismail Sabri was due to be read before Judge Suzana Hussin at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court at 9am on Friday but his hospital admission interrupted the scheduled court appearance.
- Ismail Sabri was admitted to the National Heart Institute and his lawyer and reports say he may undergo a pacemaker procedure, which supporters say prevents him from attending the court in person.
- If the plea is to be taken at the hospital, the deputy public prosecutor must formally apply and the sessions court judge must grant permission before proceedings can be moved from the courthouse.
- The case stems from an MACC investigation that in February 2025 led to arrests and the seizure of about RM170 million in foreign-currency cash and 16kg of gold that investigators say are linked to the probe.
- Reporters gathered at both the Kuala Lumpur court complex and outside the hospital as the situation developed, a delay that could slow formal steps in the inquiry and shape public and political scrutiny in the coming days.