Muhyiddin withdraws bid to transfer graft case to High Court

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has withdrawn the application to transfer the seven charges made against him for using his position to obtain bribes and receiving money from unlawful activities from the Sessions Court to the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

His lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik today told High Court judge K Muniandy that his client had sent the letter to withdraw the application for the transfer to the prosecution on July 5.

"Therefore, we request that the application to transfer this case be revoked," he said during the case management today.

Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin confirmed the matter and did not object to the withdrawal.

In the letter seeking to withdraw the application for transfer of the case, Muhyiddin said he was withdrawing the application to transfer the case from the Sessions Court to the High Court pending the disposal of his application to quash the charges against him.

"We (the defence) have recommended to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that the transfer application be postponed until after a decision on our application to quash the charges has been made, but the MACC wants the transfer application to be heard first.

"However, to save the court's time and costs, since we think the transfer application will be academic if the cancellation application is granted, we hereby withdraw this (transfer application)," stated the letter.

On March 10, Muhyiddin, 76, was charged with four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM232.5 million and two charges of receiving money from unlawful activities amounting to RM195 million.

The Pagoh MP allegedly committed all the offences at the Prime Minister's Office, Main Block, Perdana Putra Building, Federal Government Administration Centre in Putrajaya and CIMB Bank Menara KL Branch, Jalan Stesen Sentral in Kuala Lumpur between Feb 25 and July 16, 2021;  March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021 as well as Feb 8, 2022, and July 8, 2022.

On March 13, Muhyiddin was charged in the Shah Alam Sessions Court with receiving money from unlawful activities amounting to RM5 million at the AmBank branch of Amcorp Mall in Petaling Jaya on Jan 7, 2022.

Muhyiddin then filed an application to strike out the four charges involving the misuse of his position to receive bribes amounting to RM232.5 million for Bersatu on April 18.

On April 27, he filed to transfer all the cases to the High Court on grounds that they involved complex legal issues on the Federal Constitution.