TWO videos from the TikTok app allegedly containing the voice of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin regarding a sum of money deposited into Bersatu's account were presented on the first day of the trial of the former Prime Minister's corruption and money laundering case.
The 79-year-old Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) President is facing four cases of abuse of position for bribery totalling RM225.3 million and three cases of money laundering (AMLA) totalling RM195 million.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) assistant enforcement officer Mohd Syawaludin Said, as the first prosecution witness, said he would tender two pieces of evidence, namely two TikTok videos from two accounts showing audio and video of Muhyiddin's speech in which he allegedly admitted that money had been deposited into Bersatu's bank account.
Mohd Syawaludin, who has been working at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Headquarters in Putrajaya since August 2014, said that one video involved audio only, while another audio recording included visuals.
During examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Wan Nur Iman Wan Mohd Afzal, Mohd Syawaludin, 37, said that he heard the audio on January 16, 2025, while the second recording was on July 26 of the same year.
“The audio recording contains the voice of Tan Sri Muhyiddin, who, in the video, denied having received the money in his own pocket, but instead, into the party account.
“The account owner for the first recording, which is 17 seconds long, was uploaded by an individual using the name ‘@puterishantek’ on September 22, 2024.
“The second recording was uploaded by an application user under the name ‘@wanhadi21’ which I do not know either of the individuals,” he said.
He said he recognised Muhyiddin’s voice because the politician was the eighth Prime Minister.
Following that, the witness said the audio was downloaded using the ssstik.io website to be used as evidence in court.
Meanwhile, lawyer, Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, who represented the Pagoh Member of Parliament, asked this witness a series of questions.
Mohd Syawaludin later admitted that no investigation was conducted into the identity of the individual who edited the recording involved.
Lawyer: So, who inserted the caption, location and hashtag in the video?
Mohd Syawaludin: Not sure.
Lawyer: Do you know ‘@puterishantek’ and ‘@wanhadi21’?
Mohd Syawaludin: Not familiar.
Lawyer: Did you investigate their identities or at least were you instructed by a superior officer to investigate them?
Mohd Syawaludin: No.
Lawyer: Did you even take the initiative to investigate the two individuals involved?
Mohd Syawaludin: The investigating officer, Assistant Commissioner, Mazery Mohd Zaini, did not instruct me to track down or investigate the two individuals involved and did not have any initiative of my own to investigate the matter.
Lawyer: You know, they are political 'cybertroopers'.
Mohd Syawaludin: I don't know.
Lawyer: Have you ever heard of AI, which is artificial intelligence?
Mohd Syawaludin: Yes, I have.
Lawyer: If you don't investigate its authenticity, can you tell me whether this video was generated by AI or not?
Mohd Syawaludin: No.
Lawyer: I see that '@puterishantek' is not on the witness list. Will she be called to testify in this court?
Noor Ruwena then interrupted and said that the question was not relevant to ask the witness involved.
“There may be a hundred people claiming to be ‘@puterishantek,” said the judge.
Agreeing with that, Amer Hamzah then suggested that the TikTok application was not credible evidence, which was then disagreed with by the witness involved.
Muhyiddin is the second Malaysian prime minister to sit in the dock facing corruption charges, after Datuk Seri Najib Razak, whose cases linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal had dominated the courts for years.
Muhyiddin allegedly abused his position to solicit RM225.3 million for Bersatu and faces three money laundering charges involving RM200 million deposited into two bank accounts. – March 9, 2026
