Muhyiddin's acquittal shows 'evil hands' out to tarnish his image ahead of state polls, says Azmin

Selangor Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Mohamed Azmin Ali said the acquittal of Muhyiddin Yassin on four corruption charges is proof that there are "evil hands" out to tarnish the reputation of the former prime minister in the hope that voters would reject the coalition in the just-concluded state polls.

"But the opposite happened in the state elections. PN won big in Terengganu, Kelantan, and Kedah and won seizable numbers of seats in Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan," said Azmin, adding that the charges against Muhyiddin would not have existed in the first place if the rule of law was adhered to by the government.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today acquitted and freed Muhyiddin of four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM232.5 million, with judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin saying the charges were vague, flawed, and unfounded as they did not specify the details of the offences committed.

Azmin said Muhyiddin had never been involved in corrupt practises or abuse of power.

On the contrary, he said, Muhyiddin had fought against corrupt practices, including when he was sacked as deputy prime minister in 2015 for speaking out against Najib Razak in the 1MDB scandal.

Azmin added that since the main charges against Muhyiddin have been cancelled, the three Anti-Money Laundering Act (Amla) charges against him cannot stand alone and must also be cancelled.

Muhyiddin was charged with using his position as then prime minister and Bersatu president to obtain bribes for the party from three companies – Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd – as well as from one Azman Yusoff.

He was charged with committing the offences at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021.