KUALA LUMPUR: The prosecution in the power abuse and money laundering case involving Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has objected to the former prime minister’s application to stay the proceedings at the Sessions Court here pending a decision of his review application at the Court of Appeal.
In the prosecution’s affidavit-in-reply obtained by the media Friday (May 24), Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Wai Keong stated the prosecution objected to the stay on grounds, among others, that the applicant (Muhyiddin) was attempting to delay the hearing of the case by filing the review application against the Feb 28 decision of his appeal by the Court of Appeal.
"There is no compelling reason and strong public interest in this case that requires a stay of the proceedings at the Sessions Court...Therefore, the prosecution requests the Sessions Court to dismiss the applicant's application and proceed with the (hearing of the) case without further delay," said Limi in the affidavit which was filed Thursday (May 23).
The application will be heard before Judge Azura Alwi on June 13.
Lim also said that Muhyiddin’s review application was frivolous and an abuse of the court process.
There are no exceptional circumstances to justify the Court of Appeal to review a decision that had been made by (a previous panel of) the court, he stated.
The review application has been set for hearing before a panel of five Court of Appeal judges on July 9.
On Feb 28, the Court of Appeal allowed the prosecutor's application to set aside the decision of the High Court, made on Aug 15 last year, which acquitted Muhyiddin, who is Bersatu president, of four charges of abuse of position to obtain bribes amounting to RM232.5mil in connection with the Jana Wibawa project for the party.
Muhyiddin, 76, was charged with using his position as the then prime minister and Bersatu president to obtain bribes amounting to RM232.5mil from three companies, namely Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd, and also from one Datuk Azman Yusoff, for the party.
He was charged with committing the offences at the Prime Minister’s Office, Bangunan Perdana Putra, Federal Government Administration Centre in Putrajaya between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021.
In addition to the four charges, Muhyiddin was also charged with two counts of receiving proceeds from unlawful activities amounting to RM195mil from Bukhary Equity, which was deposited into Bersatu’s CIMB Bank account.
The offences were allegedly committed at CIMB Bank Menara KL Branch, Jalan Stesen Sentral, here, between Feb 25 and July 16, 2021, and between Feb 8 and July 8, 2022.
Muhyiddin was also charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court on March 13 this year with receiving money from illegal activities amounting to RM5mil, and the case had been transferred to the Sessions Court here for a joint trial. - Bernama
