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Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was acquitted of three counts of money laundering and one abuse of power charge involving RM200 million linked to Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd.

High Court judge Datuk Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin made the decision to free the Pagoh MP from these charges despite prosecution’s application for four of the seven charges against the former prime minister to be given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA).

According to Sinar Harian, the four charges involved one count of using his position to obtain a bribe of RM200 million for Bersatu and three money laundering charges involving the same amount.

The court, however, ordered the trial to proceed on the remaining three charges relating to the Jana Wibawa project.

“The court acquits and discharges only these four cases, so we continue the trial with the remaining three related to Jana Wibawa,” Noor Ruwena was quoted as saying.

The Bersatu president had been charged with using his position as prime minister and Bersatu president to obtain RM200 million in bribes for the party from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd in connection with the Jana Wibawa projects.

The alleged offence was said to have taken place at the Prime Minister’s Office in Perdana Putra, Putrajaya, between March 1, 2020 and August 20, 202.

The charge was framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which provides for a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The Pagoh MP also faced three charges of receiving proceeds from unlawful activities amounting to RM200 million from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd.

The money was allegedly deposited into Bersatu’s AmBank and CIMB Bank accounts in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur between February 2021 and July 2022.

Muhyiddin, however, still faces three charges of using his position to obtain RM25.3 million in bribes for Bersatu from three companies — Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd and KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd — as well as from businessman Azman, in relation Jana Wibawa.

Meanwhile, Bersatu Youth Information Chief Harris Idaham Rashid said the decision represented absolute vindication that the Muhyiddin administration had always been clean, while dismissing what he described as malicious allegations by his political opponents.

“On behalf of Bersatu Youth, I stress that this chain of selective charges is a planned political persecution aimed at crippling our struggle,” he said.

Harris also demanded that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) immediately lift the restrictions on Bersatu’s official bank accounts, saying there was no longer any legal or moral basis to continue freezing the party’s right to manage its accounts.

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