Former Prime Minister of Malaysia and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin (C) walked outside Kuala Lumpur High Court after being charged with corruption on March 10, 2023. The former prime minister, who led the country for 17 months between 2020 and 2021 during the height of the COVID‑19 pandemic, was charged on Friday with abusing his power to obtain bribes and with money‑laundering linked to the alleged misuse of a COVID‑19 economic recovery fund. He now heads an opposition coalition against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government.
Muhyiddin, 75, faces four counts of abusing his position to obtain bribes totalling 232.5 million ringgit (US$51.4 million) for his political party, Bersatu. The alleged bribes came from companies that received preferential treatment for projects financed by the COVID fund. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. In addition, he has been charged with two counts of money‑laundering involving 195 million ringgit deposited into Bersatu’s account; each of these charges could result in up to 15 years in jail. Prosecutors said a third money‑laundering charge would be filed on Monday.
At the Sessions Court, Muhyiddin pleaded not guilty to all charges and requested a trial. He was released on bail but ordered to surrender his passport. In a statement, he insisted that “not a single cent of the people’s money went into my own pocket during my tenure as prime minister.” The charges followed his questioning by the Malaysian Anti‑Corruption Commission (MACC) and a subsequent arrest. Muhyiddin denied any wrongdoing, accusing Anwar’s ruling coalition of political persecution intended to discredit him and his party ahead of state elections in July. “My legal team and I will work hard to get justice in court,” he said, urging supporters not to resort to street protests. Anwar has denied any interference in the judicial process.
The MACC launched a probe into the alleged misuse of pandemic funds by Bersatu and froze the party’s bank accounts last month. Two Bersatu leaders have also been charged with bribery related to the stimulus programme. Muhyiddin first rose to prominence during the tenure of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who remains under a 12‑year jail term for his role in the 1MDB scandal and faces dozens of additional corruption charges. Muhyiddin fell out with Najib in 2015 after being sacked for criticizing the government over the 1MDB issue. He later joined a party founded by former premier Mahathir Mohamad and helped oust Najib and his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). In a typical turn of Malaysia’s turbulent politics, Muhyiddin subsequently allied with UMNO again to secure enough support to become prime minister.
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