KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will undergo a pacemaker procedure at the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Friday (Aug 7) afternoon, says his lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad.
He said the resulting hospitalisation meant that court proceedings to charge the Bera MP would be postponed to Aug 27.
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He confirmed that the prosecution had registered a charge against his client today but that it could not be read out and no plea was recorded due to Ismail Sabri’s absence.
Amer Hamzah explained that as Ismail Sabri was being questioned at Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters on Thursday (Aug 6), a health issue was discovered which led to the latter to be admitted to IJN.
“We understand that he was questioned from 9am to 6pm and he was then brought to IJN after 6pm.
“When we contacted the client and his family this morning, we were then made to understand that he will be undergoing a pacemaker procedure later in the afternoon.
ALSO READ: Ismail Sabri warded at IJN ahead of court charges
“Due to this, it is not practical for the charge to be read out at IJN and we have explained to the judge and the prosecution what happened,” he told reporters in a press conference outside the KL Court Complex today.
Amer also revealed that Ismail Sabri had suffered health issues weeks before his appearance at the MACC headquarters on Thursday.
He explained that the former prime minister had experienced a fall about two weeks ago and was admitted to Pantai Hospital with a follow-up examination originally having been scheduled at IJN for next Monday (Aug 10).
“We requested for the matter to be adjourned to another date and the court has agreed to fix it to later this month on Aug 27.
“But this will still be subject to my client's stable and good health condition so if there is any issue on the case, we will raise it on Aug 27,” he added.
