KUALA LUMPUR – The treasurer of the political party led by Malaysia’s former premier Muhyiddin Yassin has been arrested by graft busters and remanded for two days in relation to a probe into the party’s funds.
According to a source, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia treasurer Mohd Salleh Bajuri was nabbed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Wednesday and his two-day remand will end on Friday, reported The Star Online.
The source added that MACC made the application for remand on Tuesday at the Magistrate Court in Kuala Lumpur.
“This is purely political persecution by those intending to taint Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional. The remand ends tomorrow (Friday) and he should be released tomorrow. However, we were told MACC is trying to get another remand for a few more days,” said the source. Perikatan Nasional is the opposition coalition that mainly comprises Bersatu and Parti Islam SeMalaysia.
On Tuesday, Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s close associate Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad was slapped with a fifth charge of bribery involving RM2 million (S$601,000) related to the Jana Wibawa initiative.
Jana Wibawa was a stimulus programme to help bumiputera contractors during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was conceived by former finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who is now International Trade and Industry Minister.
In February, Adam, who is also deputy chief of Bersatu’s Segambut division, and Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan were charged with corruption and solicitation totalling at least RM7.4 million.
That same month, Wan Saiful, who is MP for Tasek Gelugor, claimed trial to two charges.
One charge is for accepting RM6.9 million in bribes from a firm in relation to the Jana Wibawa initiative. The second charge is for soliciting from the same firm an unspecified amount for a road project worth RM232 million under the same initiative.
In response to the charges, Mr Muhyiddin said “selective prosecution” is being carried out against the Bersatu leadership, claiming that Umno president and Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi had “hinted at it”.
In February, Mr Muhyiddin was also summoned by MACC to record his statement on the Jana Wibawa programme.
