Muhyiddin Yassin, the former Malaysian prime minister to be charged with corruption-related offenses on Friday, the chief of the country’s anti-graft agency told Reuters news agency. Azam Baki, the chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) did not provide further details but told the agency will issue a statement later on Thursday.
Muhyiddin, who was prime minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, came to the MACC offices on Thursday morning for an investigation. Muhyiddin and his party have confronted graft investigations since losing to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in a tightly contested election in November.
Last year, Anwar demanded consideration of state projects worth billions of dollars approved by Muhyiddin, including COVID-19 relief programs, alleging they did not follow appropriate guidelines.
Muhyiddin has previously rejected the charges, describing them as a political feud. On Thursday Anwar said he has not interrupted in graft inquiries involving Muhyiddin, state media Bernama reported.
Two leaders belonging to Muhyiddin’s party have been charged by the MACC with bribery over an economic recovery project launched by his government. The MACC asked Muhyiddin last month regarding the same project and has also frozen bank accounts belonging to Muhyiddin’s party.
The accusations against Muhyiddin come ahead of regional elections due to be kept in six states by mid-year, with the ex-premier’s alliance anticipated to pose a strong challenge to Anwar’s alliance.
