Former Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin faces 7th corruption charge
Singapore, Mar 13 (EFE).- Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin appeared before a court in Kuala Lumpur on Monday to face a fresh accusation related to money laundering, taking the total charges against him to seven.
The former prime minister, on his part, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
Muhyiddin, 76, showed up at the court dressed in a suit and tie, while several of his supporters waited along with dozens of cameramen, according to images posted on the former leader’s Facebook account.
In the latest money laundering charge, he is accused of illegally receiving five million ringgit ($1.11 million) from Burkhary Equity, which was deposited into an account of Bersatu AmBank on Jan.7 last year, according to local press reports.
On the latest money laundering charge alone, Muhyiddin could face up to a 15 year term if found guilty.
The politician was arrested on Thursday last week, and then released on bail, for alleged corruption related to a pandemic aid fund, Jana Wibawa.
On Friday, Muhyiddin also appeared in a court in the Malaysian capital, where he was charged with four counts of abuse of power and two counts of money laundering.
The four abuse of power charges are related to projects valued at 232.5 million ringgit, granted during his brief administration between March 2020 and August 2021, and the other two of money laundering ones equal to 195 million ringgit.
In a statement on Thursday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said Muhyiddin was arrested at the commission’s headquarters after he testified about alleged irregularities in relation to the Jana Wibawa aid fund.
In February, the former prime minister told the media he was not responsible for any irregularities related to the Jana Wibawa fund.
Muhyiddin has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and claimed to be a victim of political persecution.
Muhyiddin Yassin, heading the Perikatan Nasional coalition – which included the conservative Malaysian Islamic Party, lost the November election to the reformist and liberal Pakatan Harapan, led by Anwar Ibrahim.
Since then, Muhyiddin has become one of the biggest critics of Anwar’s government.
Muhyiddin is the second former prime minister to have been arrested for corruption in Malaysia, after Najib Razak, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August last year for a case related to embezzlement from the state fund 1MDB, marking one of the largest corruption cases in the world. EFE
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