Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, 75, was slapped with four counts of abuse of power involving RM232.5 million (S$70 million) on Friday in a Kuala Lumpur court, over projects awarded under his government’s stimulus programme Jana Wibawa. He was also charged with two counts of money laundering involving RM195 million. Here is a timeline of the programme and its aftermath.
November 2020 – The programme is introduced by then Prime Minister Muhyiddin, as a Covid-19 stimulus measure to help bumiputera – a term describing the Malay majority and indigenous minorities – contractors.
December 2022 – Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, taking over after the November general election, says the Finance Ministry has discovered breaches in the handling of public funds under Muhyiddin, who was premier for 17 months between March 2020 and August 2021.
Feb 1, 2023 – Tan Sri Azam Baki, chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), says the accounts of Muhyiddin’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia were frozen to enable the graft busters to probe funds believed to have come from illegal proceeds.
Feb 21 – Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan is charged in court with accepting RM6.9 million in bribes in relation to the Jana Wibawa programme, and over soliciting RM232 million worth of bribes.
Businessman Adam Radlan is separately charged with soliciting and accepting a bribe of RM500,000 from the managing director of MIE Infrastructure and Energy for the award of a road project worth RM47.8 million.
Feb 22 – Adam is handed two further counts of accepting bribes of over RM4 million in relation to Jana Wibawa. He is accused of helping a company, Nepturis, win a government project worth RM141 million, and receiving another bribe from MIE Infrastructure.
Separately, a furniture company director is slapped with nine charges of soliciting and accepting bribes amounting to RM12.87 million, in relation to the programme.
Feb 28 – Businessman Adam is charged again, this time over asking for a RM2 million bribe as a reward to help Nepturis obtain the contract worth RM141 million.
March 9 – Muhyiddin is detained by the MACC after going to its headquarters to give his statement over the programme. He is later released on conditional bail, after being told that he would be charged in court the next day.
March 10 – Muhyiddin is slapped with the six charges in a Kuala Lumpur court. The RM195 million money laundering charges are related to receiving proceeds from illegal activities from Bukhary Equity, majority-owned by tycoon Syed Mokhtar Albukhary. Muhyiddin is released after posting RM2 million bail.
The MACC and Attorney-General’s Chambers, in separate statements, deny any elements of “selective prosecution” or political interference from the government over the case, as claimed by Muhyiddin and his supporters.
