Malaysia Ex-PM Muhyiddin Charged with Money Laundering: Bernama

Anisah Shukry
·1-min read

(Bloomberg) -- A Malaysian court charged former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin with money laundering, the seventh criminal charge the opposition leader faces just four months after losing in the general election.

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Muhyiddin stands accused of receiving 5 million ringgit ($1.1 million) from unlawful activities, Bernama reported Monday. The case will be transferred to a court in Kuala Lumpur, according to the state news agency.

“I pleaded not guilty and asked for the case to go to trial,” Muhyiddin told reporters at the courthouse in Selangor state. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine, according to Malaysiakini.

On Friday, Muhyiddin, 75, was charged with four counts of abuse of power and two counts of money laundering involving a total 427.5 million ringgit. Muhyiddin said he was accused of abusing his power as premier to appoint contractors for a Covid-era stimulus project and to approve a tax exemption appeal made by the Al-Bukhary charity foundation. He denied the charges.

The allegations against Muhyiddin are an echo of former prime minister Najib Razak’s legal troubles when he was hit with multiple graft charges related to troubled state fund 1MDB when he lost power in 2018. He is currently serving a 12-year jail term.

Muhyiddin and Anwar Ibrahim fought a tight general election race in November that resulted in a hung parliament. Muhyiddin has become one of Anwar’s most outspoken critics after a bitter contest for the premiership.

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