Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has alleged that the accusations levelled against him were a political ploy carried out by Pakatan Harapan and BN to "destroy" Perikatan Nasional (PN).
"It is aimed at embarrassing me…by dragging me to court tomorrow.
"In my opinion, this selective prosecution is a political ploy done with malicious intent, carried out by Harapan and BN solely to suppress and destroy Bersatu and PN," he told reporters outside the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya today.
Earlier, it was reported that the Bersatu president presented himself at the anti-graft agency's headquarters to have his statement recorded regarding the Jana Wibawa programme and related issues.
He first went in at 11.10am, was detained at 1pm and was only released at 8.20pm today.
According to Muhyiddin, the MACC raised two issues during the interrogation; the Jana Wibawa project and the appeal against the cancellation of the tax exemption granted to the Albukhary Foundation - which was led by tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary.
"As for Jana Wibawa, I have asserted that I have not committed any wrongdoing under the law. I did not have the authority to approve any government projects.
"I have never given instructions or influenced the decisions made by the Finance Ministry. I have also never met with contractors who have been awarded projects and never received money from them.
“The MACC did not find any evidence that I have received money," he stated.
Regarding Albukhary Foundation, Muhyiddin explained that he would be charged with abuse of power for re-granting the tax exemption that was given to the foundation by the former BN government.
He added that the tax exemption was cancelled by then-finance minister Lim Guan Eng after Harapan won in 2018.
Muhyiddin said that when he became prime minister after the Harapan government fell, Syed Mokhtar appealed to him to lift the cancellation.
Subsequently, he wrote to the Finance Ministry and the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN), stating that "if it is in order, I have no objections" and the appeal was subsequently approved.
"If there were contributions from Syed Mokhtar, they were political contributions that were directly deposited into Bersatu's account, not my personal account. Not even a sen of those contributions was given to me for my personal use.
"I know that he has been providing financial contributions to political parties for decades, including those in the government.
“If he wants to contribute to Bersatu, a party that advocates good policies for Malays and the country, then what’s wrong with that?" Muhyiddin asked.
The Pagoh MP then claimed there was no basis for him to be charged under any law. However, he alleged that there was a directive from "the most powerful entity in the administration" to charge him.
"Therefore, no matter what explanation I provide, I will still be charged," he said.
'We are a peaceful party'
In a brief statement earlier, the MACC said that Muhyddin will face several charges under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 and Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
He will be required to present himself at the Kuala Lumpur court tomorrow.
When asked if he feared that his party members and supporters would create a ruckus, Muhyiddin dismissed it outright saying Bersatu is a "peaceful party".
"We love this country and we don't want to follow Anwar Ibrahim's footsteps during those reformasi days. People are facing a lot of difficulties and hardships, it's not the right thing to do.
"They (Bersatu) have behaved well. Right now, they are performing solat hajat (prayer of need) but I think tomorrow, they will show up at the court to show support.
“For them, it's not about Muhyiddin, it's about Bersatu and PN," he concluded.
The full statement is available here. - Mkini
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