KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the president of Bersatu, has decided to withdraw his application for his graft case to be transferred to the High Court. The case involves seven charges of power abuse and money laundering amounting to RM427.5mil. Muhyiddin’s lawyer, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teil, informed the court of this development during case management before Justice K Muniandy on Monday (July 10). Muhyiddin was not required to attend the proceedings.
Hisyam explained that the withdrawal application was submitted to the court through a letter dated July 5. The deputy public prosecutor, Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, did not object to this decision. As a result, the court granted the application and subsequently dismissed Muhyiddin’s request to transfer his case from the Sessions Court to the High Court.
According to the letter dated July 5, the defense believed that there were strong grounds for requesting the transfer. However, they also revealed that Muhyiddin has another application to strike out the predicate offenses he is facing at the High Court. This application is scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday (July 11). The defense argued that if Muhyiddin succeeds in striking out the charges, the transfer application would become irrelevant.
On March 10, Muhyiddin pleaded not guilty to four counts of power abuse, involving a total of RM232.5mil in gratification. The charges allege that Muhyiddin, who was a public servant and the prime minister at the time, as well as the president of Bersatu, abused his position in exchange for gratification from three entities and an individual associated with Bersatu. The gratification amounts are as follows: RM200mil from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, RM1mil from Nepturis Sdn Bhd, RM19.5mil from Mamfor Sdn Bhd, and RM12mil from Azman Yusoff. These offenses were allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021. The charges are framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
If convicted, Muhyiddin could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Muhyiddin, who served as the eighth prime minister, also pleaded not guilty to two counts of money laundering involving RM195mil. These charges accuse him of receiving proceeds from illegal activities, specifically RM120mil and RM75mil, which were deposited into Bersatu’s account from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd. The alleged offenses took place at CIMB Bank on Jalan Stesen Sentral between Feb 25, 2021, and July 8, last year. Muhyiddin was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Illegal Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and fined no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
