KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin was charged with four counts of abuse of power involving RM232.5 million (S$70 million) in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Friday over projects awarded under his government’s stimulus programme.

Muhyiddin, who was Malaysia’s prime minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021 and is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s president, was also charged with two counts of money laundering involving RM195 million.

Muhyiddin, 75, is accused of using his position as former premier and Bersatu president to obtain RM232.5 million from three companies – Bukhary Equity, Nepturis and Mamfor – and an individual named Azman Yusoff between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021.

The seasoned politician is also accused of receiving RM120 million of proceeds from illegal activity from Bukhary Equity between Feb 25, 2021, and July 8, 2022.

Muhyiddin claimed trial to the charges, which were read before Judge Azura Alwi. The charge sheet used the name Mahiaddin Md Yasin, the former prime minister’s actual name. 

Bail was set at RM2 million with two sureties, and Muhyiddin’s international passport will be held until the case concludes.

If convicted, he faces 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of five times the amount of gratification involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, for the abuse-of-power charges.

If found guilty of money laundering, he may be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail and fined five times the amount involved, or RM5 million, whichever is higher.

Based on the records of Malaysia’s Companies Commission, Bukhary Equity is owned by business tycoon Syed Mokhtar Shah Syed Nor, who has a 99 per cent stake.

Speaking to reporters, Muhyiddin said the government was trying to form a new “court cluster”. “Since I did not accept bribes, they created another offence to confirm the Umno president’s claim that there will be a new court cluster among the leaders of Perikatan Nasional. He wants to compare himself with me,” he said.

“It is definitely different. He was accused of using foundation money for personal use. As for me, not one cent of the money went into my pocket.”

Muhyiddin was referring to Umno leader and Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi’s ongoing case over criminal breach of trust charges relating to more than RM31 million of his charity Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds.

Muhyiddin was detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Thursday, after he arrived at the agency for an interview over the case.

He is the second former Malaysian premier, after Najib Razak, to be charged with corruption. Najib is serving a 12-year sentence after he was found guilty of one of the charges linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

The MACC is investigating allegations that contractors chosen for the Jana Wibawa stimulus programme under Muhyiddin’s government were required to deposit money amounting to RM300 million in Bersatu accounts, in return for projects.

Muhyiddin denied the allegations, calling them political slander.

The Jana Wibawa programme was launched to help bumiputera – a term describing the Malay majority and indigenous minorities – contractors during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was conceived by former finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who is now International Trade and Industry Minister.

Responding to critics who claim that the probe is politically motivated, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday said the ongoing investigation against Muhyiddin is being carried out independently by the graft busters.

The MACC said: “The investigation process is free from interference of any party. Therefore, the accusations that the MACC’s investigation was instructed by certain parties and was politically motivated were not true at all and have tarnished the reputation of this commission.”

The Attorney-General’s Chambers, in a separate statement, denied any elements of “selective prosecution” or undue influence in its decision to proceed with the charges. “The decision to press charges was based on the facts of the case and not from instructions of any groups or any other factors,” it said.

On March 2, the treasurer of Bersatu, Mr Mohd Salleh Bajuri, was arrested by the MACC and remanded for two days in relation to a probe into the party’s funds.

Datuk Seri Anwar, who came to power last November, ordered a review of government projects worth billions of dollars approved by Muhyiddin, including Covid-19 relief programmes, saying that they did not follow proper procedures.

Mr Anwar and Muhyiddin went head-to-head in a tightly contested election last November.