Muhyiddin's Jana Wibawa corruption trial to kick off today

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will begin hearing former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin's corruption case linked to the Jana Wibawa programme today.

The case is scheduled to be heard before judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin at 9.30am.

Newly appointed deputy head II of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) Trial and Appeal division, Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, reportedly confirmed that the prosecution would call more than 30 witnesses to testify, including former investment, trade, and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

Muhyiddin’s defence counsel, Amer Hamzah Arshad, briefly told Malaysiakini recently that the Bersatu president is ready to face trial.

The court, on Nov 10 last year, fixed 29 days spanning over five months to hear the case this year.

Muhyiddin, who turns 79 in May, became the country’s second former prime minister charged with criminal offences.

In March 2023, he claimed trial to four counts of abuse of power under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009 and three money laundering charges under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

The charges relate to Jana Wibawa, which was introduced while he was prime minister between 2020 and 2021 to speed up project implementation and to boost the country’s economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the abuse of power charges, he was accused of using his position as the then-prime minister and Bersatu president to solicit RM232.5 million from three companies and an individual between March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021.

The three companies are Bukhary Equity, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, and Mamfor Sdn Bhd, while the individual in question is Azman Yusoff.

For the three money laundering charges, Muhyiddin was accused of using his position as Bersatu’s president to receive RM200 million from Bukhary Equity between Feb 25, 2021 and July 8, 2022.

The power abuse charges carry a penalty of a maximum of 20 years in jail and a fine of five times the amount of gratification involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

The money laundering charges carry imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of five times the amount involved, or RM5 million, whichever is higher.

Power abuse charges quashed, then restored

Muhyiddin previously sought to dismiss his power abuse charges in April, about a month after he was charged.

Judge Jamil Hussin, now retired, allowed Muhyiddin’s application and quashed the charges in August the same year after finding them defective because they did not disclose particulars for Muhyiddin to mount a proper defence.

The Court of Appeal, however, reinstated Muhyiddin’s power abuse charges in February 2024 and dismissed his application to review the decision.

He also tried to seek an acquittal from all charges by submitting a letter of representation to the AGC in August 2025.

However, the AGC dismissed his letter of representation two months later.

Sedition charge over 2024 remarks

Apart from the Jana Wibawa case, Muhyiddin also faces one charge under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act over his remarks in August 2024, where he lamented that the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong did not call him to form the government after the last general election despite having the support of 115 MPs.

Section 4(1)(b) of the Act carries a maximum fine of RM5,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both.

He was initially charged at the Gua Musang Sessions Court in 2024, but the case was transferred to the Kuala Lumpur High Court due to the complexity of the legal issues, such as the constitutional validity of certain provisions in the Act.

He had since challenged the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Sedition Act, including Section 3(3), which he said constitutes an unreasonable restriction and conflicts with Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution.

Section 3(3) stipulates that an accused’s intention does not matter if his words or actions are deemed to have a “seditious tendency”.

The Federal Court, on Feb 9 this year, declined to answer the legal questions posed in Muhyiddin’s application and remitted the case back to the High Court for determination.

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