ANKARA 

Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to the hospital to receive treatment for an undisclosed infection, his spokesman said Tuesday. 

Mahathir "is currently receiving treatment for infection at IJN (National Heart Institute) followed by a subsequent rest period for optimal recovery," his spokesman told Anadolu in a statement.

He added that Mahathir was last admitted to IJN on Jan. 26.

The 98-year-old veteran politician, who has served Malaysia for two decades, has a history of heart problems.

He has been in and out of hospital in recent years and has undergone bypass surgeries.

Mahathir was scheduled to attend a court proceeding on Tuesday but failed to appear. His lawyer told the court his client was unable to attend the defamation hearing due to hospitalization.

The nonagenarian veteran politician served two non-sequential terms as prime minister for 24 years and left office in 2020.

He returned as premier in 2018 but his government collapsed in less than two years due to infighting.