KUALA LUMPUR: Justice K Muniandy has fixed July 10 to hear two of three applications filed by Muhyiddin Yassin’s defence team seeking the transfer of four abuse of power and two money laundering charges from the sessions court to the High Court here.
Earlier this month, Muhyiddin’s lawyers filed three separate applications to transfer to the High Court seven charges the former prime minister is facing on grounds they involve constitutional and complex legal issues.
The three transfer applications were assigned to different High Court judges.
The application to transfer all four abuse of power charges was allocated to Muniandy.
A similar application to transfer Muhyiddin’s two money laundering cases was assigned to Justice Noorin Badaruddin, while a third application concerning the remaining money laundering charge is presently before Justice Azahar Abdul Hamid.
This morning, Noorin allowed an oral application by the defence team to have the application in her court transferred to Muniandy for disposal.
Lead defence counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said they would file a formal application for a transfer of the motion pending in Azahar’s court to Muniandy’s.
“We will file the application as soon as possible though Justice Azahar has given us until July 28,” Hisyam told FMT.
Previously, lawyer Rosli Dahlan said the transfer applications were initiated by the defence because prosecutors handling the cases failed to take them out themselves.
Instead, the prosecution had filed an application for a joint trial of all seven charges before a single sessions court judge.
The abuse of power charges, framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, accuse Muhyiddin of using his position as then prime minister and Bersatu president to induce payment of RM232.5 million by three companies and an individual to his party between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021.
The companies are Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd while the individual is businessman Azman Yusoff.
Muhyiddin is also charged with three counts of money laundering totalling RM200 million allegedly committed here and in Petaling Jaya.
Lawyers K Kumaraendran and Amer Hamzah Arshad also appeared for the defence in today’s proceedings, while deputy public prosecutors Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and Ahmad Akram Gharib represented the prosecution.
All charges Muhyiddin is facing relate to the Jana Wibawa programme, which he initiated when in office.