SHAH ALAM: It was a different scene at the court complex here yesterday.
Rather than the large crowd that gathered in front of the Kuala Lumpur Sessions court last week, only a small group of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s supporters were seen in the morning.
As the former prime minister was leaving the court after pleading not guilty to the charge he faces, a small crowd of Perikatan Nasional supporters were heard chanting “Hidup Tan Sri”.
Mohd Khairi, 49, wearing a Perikatan shirt and scarf, said he had travelled over six hours and waited another five hours to show his support for the beleaguered Bersatu president.
“When I heard of the news, I immediately left my house at 7pm on Sunday and booked a RM31 bus ride from my home in Baling (Kedah) to KL Sentral, taking around five hours.
“And then I took a RM32 ehailing ride from KL Sentral to here and have been waiting since 3am.
“This cost is nothing compared with the accusations being thrown at Muhyiddin, who I respect greatly,” he told reporters.
Also spotted were Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris, Johor Perikatan chief Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal and Johor Perikatan deputy chairman Mohd Solihan Badri.
Muhyiddin was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Illegal Activities Act 2001, read together with Section 87 (1) of the same Act.
The Pagoh MP was accused of receiving RM5mil that was deposited into Bersatu’s AmBank account on Jan 7 last year.
In a press conference held after hearing the charge against him, Muhyiddin said that the court had moved his case to the Kuala Lumpur court.
“I have pleaded not guilty to the charge and I have agreed to the request for the case to be transferred to the KL court,” he said.
Aside from outgoing Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal and other Perikatan leaders, Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai, Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu and the coalition’s Sabah chapter chairman Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee were also present at the court complex.
On March 11, Muhyiddin pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of graft and money laundering at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.
He was charged with four counts of abuse of power involving RM232.5mil and two counts of money laundering involving RM195mil.
