Court to hear Muhyiddin’s bid to quash charges

PUTRAJAYA: The Appeals Court has set July 9 to hear an application for leave by former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to review its previous decision to reinstate four power abuse charges involving RM232.5 million against him.

The court will hear preliminary objections filed by the prosecution on April 1, on grounds that the application is trivial and an abuse of court process.

The hearing date was fixed yesterday during case management before Appeals Court senior assistant registrar Nurul Azrina Mohamed Yusof.

Muhyiddin’s lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said the defence requested a five-man panel to hear the application, but was told to write in for Appeals Court president Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim to consider the matter.

Muhyiddin filed the application on March 27 and is represented by seven other lawyers, including Datuk K. Kumaraendran and Chetan Jethwani.

The four charges had previously been struck out by the High Court. In the notice of motion, Muhyiddin said the decision of the Appeals Court was null as it was made without the jurisdiction required under Section 50(1) of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964.

Muhyiddin, 76, as prime minister and president of Bersatu at the material time, was charged with using his position to receive bribes amounting to RM232.5 million for the party from Datuk Azman Yusoff and three companies, namely Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd.

He is accused of committing the act at the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangunan Perdana Putra, Federal Government Administration Centre in Putrajaya between March 1, 2020 and August 20, 2021.

He also faces two charges of receiving money from illegal activities amounting to RM195 million from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, which was deposited into Bersatu’s CIMB Bank account.

He allegedly committed the offence at CIMB Bank Menara KL Branch in Jalan Stesen Sentral between Feb 25 and July 16, 2021 and between Feb 8 and July 8, 2022.