Muhyiddin Yassin’s lead defence counsel claimed that all criminal charges against the former prime minister were vague and in bad faith, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard this morning.
Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said this was because there were no specific details as to how the offence, as stated in the charges, was carried out.
The absence of these details prejudiced Muhyiddin’s ability to form his defence, he added.
“It is my respectful submission this morning that the charges are bad in law as there were no particulars as to how the accused had ‘used his position’, as alleged in the charges.
“Under the law, the manner in which the alleged offence is committed by the accused person must be classified by the prosecution.
“The particulars must be specific in the charges, as to what steps were taken by the accused in relation to any decision or action.
“We are left in the dark as to what are the particulars or complaints by the prosecution against the accused. We are prejudiced,” said Hisyam (above).
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, in reply, said the matters raised by Hisyam had previously been raised during Muhyiddin’s application to strike out the charges.
“They can raise the matter at the end of the prosecution, if they wish to do so,” he said.
Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin then ordered the trial to proceed as scheduled.
Subsequently, Wan Shaharuddin proceeded with his opening statement, submitting that millions of ringgit may not have landed in Bersatu’s bank accounts if Muhyiddin was not the prime minister.
“We admit that millions of ringgit did not go into the accused’s own pocket but (instead into) the accounts of his party, Bersatu, in which he was the president and the prime minister, who had an indirect interest in Jana Wibawa projects.
“We will also show that the then finance minister had only acted based on the minutes by the accused.
“The then finance minister (and his party, Umno) did not gain any benefit in taking such action,” Wan Shaharuddin said.
The finance minister at the time the alleged crime occurred was Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
“The evidence will show that Bersatu would not have received millions of ringgit in donations if the accused was not the prime minister at that time,” said the prosecutor.
Jana Wibawa trial begins today
Wan Shaharuddin, the newly appointed deputy head II of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) Trial and Appeal division, is leading the prosecution’s team in today’s proceedings.
The court began hearing Muhyiddin’s corruption trial involving the Jana Wibawa programme today, with MACC officer Syawaludin Said taking the stand as the first prosecution witness.
The Pagoh MP, who turns 79 in May, became the country’s second former prime minister charged with criminal offences.
He was charged with four counts of abuse of power under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009 and three money laundering charges under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
The charges relate to Jana Wibawa, which was introduced while he was prime minister between 2020 and 2021 to speed up project implementation and to boost the country’s economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The court read Muhyiddin’s charges at the start of today’s proceedings, as there were amendments to his fourth charge of power abuse.
He was previously accused of using his position for gratification, for a total of RM12 million, for the benefit of his party from an individual named Azman Yusoff.
However, in today’s amended charges, the amount was reduced to RM4.8 million, which meant the total amount he was charged with was RM225.3 million.
Muhyiddin maintained his plea of not guilty to all the charges read. - Mkini
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