THE Chinese proverb of good things always come in pairs has proven to be true as Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman and former premier Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been acquitted by the Kuala Lumpur High Court today of four charges of abusing his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM232.5 mil.
After leading the opposition coalition to what is deemed as commendable victory in Saturday’s (Aug 12) six state polls, the Bersatu president was discharged and freed by judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin who ruled that the court was satisfied that all four charges were defective, baseless and vague.
Jamil went on to justify that the charges did not show any details on the offence, hence making it difficult for the accused to be unable to give proper instructions to his team of lawyers.
Speaking outside the court later, Muhyiddin whose lead counsel is Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said he had always believed that the charges against him were politically motivated.
“I have not committed any wrongdoing whether according to the laws of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or any other,” he told reporters. “I am thankful and I can say that we will continue to explain to the people what was done by certain parties to persecute me, and today, it has been proven that these were false accusations.
Meanwhile, lead counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik hailed the decision as “fair and just”. “The charges preferred against TS Muhyiddin were bad in law, seriously defected and must not see the light of day,” he pointed out while describing them also as “an abuse of (judicial) process”.
Another defence lawyer, Datuk K Kumaraendran, said Muhyiddin was clearly innocent from the beginning. “His acquittal reinforces the presumption of innocence from the beginning,” the founding partner of Kumar & Co said, noting that the prosecution should have considered the law before deciding to bring the charges in the first place.
“I don’t know what agenda they had when they first charged him,” he added.
For the record, Muhyiddin was previously charged on four counts of using his position as the then prime minister (PM) and Bersatu president to ask for a RM200 mil bribe from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd at the PM’s Department Complex in Putrajaya between Feb 8 and 25, 2021.
The four charges were framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 which carries a maximum 20 years of jail time or a fine of five times the value of the money solicited or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Additionally, the Pagoh MP was also charged on two counts of receiving RM195 mil in funds that are proceeds from unlawful activities between Feb 25 to July 16, 2021 and Feb 8 till July 8 last year. – Aug 15, 2023
