Muhyiddin wants five-member panel to hear application

PUTRAJAYA: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has asked for a five-man panel of judges in the Court of Appeal to hear his application for leave to review an earlier decision of the court to reinstate the four power abuse charges involving RM232.5mil against him.

The request was made by the former prime minister’s lawyers before senior assistant registrar Nurul Azrina Mohamed Yusof during a case management proceeding yesterday.

Nurul Azrina told the defence team to write in for the Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim to consider the matter.

She also set July 9 for the hearing of the application for leave.

On the same day, the court will also hear the prosecution’s preliminary objection, filed last April 1, to object to Muhyiddin’s application on grounds that it was trivial and is an abuse of the court process.

One of Muhyiddin’s lawyers, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, when contacted, confirmed the date.

Muhyiddin, also represented by seven other lawyers including Datuk K. Kumaraendran and Chetan Jethwani, filed the application on March 27.

He is seeking to set aside the Court of Appeal’s previous decision in reinstating the four charges against him that had been struck out by the High Court.

In the notice of motion, Muhyiddin claimed that the decision of the Court of Appeal was void as it was made without the jurisdiction spelled out in Section 50(1) of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964, BK reported.

Muhyiddin, 76, is charged with using his position as the then Prime Minister and president of Bersatu for bribes amounting to RM232.5mil from three companies, namely Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd and Datuk Azman Yusoff, for the party concerned.

He is accused of committing the act at the Prime Minister’s Office, Bangunan Perdana Putra, Federal Government Administration Centre in Putrajaya between March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021.

The Bersatu president also faces two charges of receiving money from illegal activities amounting to RM195mil from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd which was deposited into Bersatu’s CIMB Bank account.

He was charged with committing the offence at CIMB Bank Menara KL Branch, Jalan Stesen Sentral between Feb 25 and July 16, 2021 and between Feb 8 and July 8, 2022.