KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged the public not to rush to judgment before the investigation concludes against former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Anwar emphasized that authorities should be allowed to carry out their investigation professionally and allow due process to take its course.
"Regarding the case of Ismail Sabri, there are no charges yet; the investigation process is being taken. Let us not judge; we must respect the rule of law," he told reporters after attending a breaking of fast event in parliament on Wednesday (March 5).
Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, along with other Cabinet ministers, were also present.
The meeting between the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Ismail Sabri is expected to be held on Friday (March 7).
On March 3, the MACC announced they would record Ismail Sabri's statement regarding his asset declaration and the cases currently under investigation.
Anwar also dismissed claims of a political ploy against certain leaders.
"So, meaning, if you have a few hundred million in your house, we can't touch? Just because you are with the opposition?" he said.
"If we find a few hundred million in your house, we can't touch? Are you telling me that? Then you can't run a government, but maybe you can run a kongsi gelap (criminal syndicate), please don't," said Anwar.
He added that if there were any corruption cases against ministers, he would not impede investigations against them.
"The principle is, please investigate, regardless of who that person is. If you ask, why are there no ministers? Give us the names, tell us the location of the house where the money is hidden, I will not block the investigation," he said.
"Let us not judge before the completion of the probing process, which is conducted transparently and fairly," reiterated Anwar.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki stated that the MACC now views Ismail Sabri as a suspect, not just a witness.
On Sunday, the MACC revealed that around RM170mil in foreign currency and 16kg of gold worth nearly RM7mil were seized from "safe houses" following investigations into four senior officers who served under Ismail Sabri.
The foreign currencies seized included Thai baht, Saudi riyal, British pound, Korean won, euro, Swiss francs, and Chinese yuan.
