Crime & Justice

Malaysian ex-PM Yassin arrested for alleged corruption

Bangkok Desk, Mar 9 (EFE).- Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin was arrested Thursday for alleged corruption related to a pandemic relief fund, officials said.

He is due to appear in court on Friday.

Muhyiddin is the second former Malaysian prime minister to be arrested for corruption. Najib Razak was sentenced in August to 12 years in prison in a case relating to the state fund 1MDB, one of the largest corruption cases in the world.

In a statement, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said Muhyiddin was arrested after being questioned over alleged irregularities at the commission’s headquarters in relation to the Jana Wibawa aid fund, intended to stimulate the economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Supporters of the former president demonstrated outside the MACC headquarters to express their support for Muhyiddin while he was testifying.

Muhyiddin, who was prime minister between March 2020 and August 2021, is accused of money laundering and illegal financing, among other charges.

He told reporters last month that he was not responsible for any irregularities related to the Jana Wibawa fund, which has been under investigation for weeks.

Wan Saiful Wan, the information chief of Bersatu, the party led by Muhyuddin, and businessman Adam Radlan have been charged with taking bribes in connection with the fund.

This latest corruption case has erupted with the country still coming to terms with the 1MDB scandal, which came to light in 2015, when a journalistic investigation exposed the siphoning of $4.5 billion from state coffers by Najib Razak and his accomplices, a scandal that contributed to his fall from power as he lost the general elections in May 2018. EFE

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