Part of the team: Perian is the first Malaysian King’s Counsel.
KUALA LUMPUR: A King’s Counsel is now part of the defence team of former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is seeking to restore his acquittal on four charges of abuse of power related to the Jana Wibawa project.
Muhyiddin’s lead counsel Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik told reporters that Steven Perian will appear with him and 13 other lawyers before a five-judge panel at the Court of Appeal on July 9.
The appellate court is scheduled to hear Muhyiddin’s application for leave to review the decision of a previous Court of Appeal panel to reinstate the four power abuse charges.
It will also hear the prosecution’s preliminary objections and issues of merit related to the case in the same proceedings.
Perian, who is the first Malaysian King’s Counsel, can appear before the Malaysian courts as he has a practising certificate here.
Muhyiddin is appealing the entirety of the decision by Justices Hadhariah Syed Ismail, Azmi Ariffin and SM Komathy Suppiah.
On Feb 28, the panel allowed the prosecution to reinstate four power abuse charges and ordered the case to be remitted to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.
Muhyiddin was acquitted by the High Court judge Justice Muhammad Jamil Hussin who found that the four charges against the Pagoh MP were defective, unsubstantiated, and vague.
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 – 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.
