The 75-year-old pleaded not guilty to all charges and Sessions Court judge, Rozilah Salleh allowed the previous 2-million-ringgit bail which Muhyiddin had paid for his previous charges in Kuala Lumpur to be used as bail for the latest charge.
On March 10, Muhyiddin claimed trial for six charges in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur, including four corruption charges and two money laundering charges involving several hundred million ringgit.
Muhyiddin, who served as Malaysia’s prime minister for 17 months between March 2020 and August 2021, is the chairman of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
The latest charge against Muhyiddin is part of a larger crackdown on corruption in Malaysia. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been investigating several high-profile corruption cases in recent years, including the 1MDB scandal, which saw billions of dollars siphoned off from a state investment fund.
Muhyiddin’s alleged involvement in the scandal has been a source of controversy in Malaysia. In 2015, when he was Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin called for an investigation into the 1MDB scandal, which was being overseen by then-Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Muhyiddin was later sacked from his post as Deputy Prime Minister, and he joined the opposition party, the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu), which he later led to victory in the 2018 general election.
After winning the election, Muhyiddin formed the Perikatan Nasional coalition, which was widely seen as an attempt to sideline the then-opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim.
Muhyiddin’s tenure as prime minister was marked by political instability, as he struggled to maintain the support of his coalition partners. He was eventually forced to resign in August 2021 after losing the support of the parliament.
Since then, Muhyiddin has been facing a series of corruption charges, which have raised questions about the extent of corruption in Malaysia and the ability of the country’s political institutions to combat it.
The latest charge against Muhyiddin is likely to further undermine his reputation and raise concerns about the PN coalition, which has been accused of being riddled with corruption.
Despite the charges against him, Muhyiddin maintains his innocence and has vowed to clear his name. His trial is set to continue in the coming months, and it remains to be seen how the case will play out.