KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition MP Gobind Singh Deo asked if Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has lodged a report with police or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over allegations that there were parties who demanded he interfered in court matters when he held the office of prime minister.
The Puchong lawmaker implied in a statement today that Muhyiddin would be committing an offence if he failed to lodge a report of said attempts to ask him to interfere with the judiciary when he was prime minister.
The Selangor DAP chairman quoted Section 25(1) of the MACC Act, which states that “any person to whom any gratification is given, promised, or offered, in contravention of any provision of this act, shall report such gift, promise or offer together with the name, if known, of the person who gave, promised or offered such gratification to the nearest officer of the commission or police officer.”
He also cited Section 25(2) which stipulates that “any person who fails to comply with subsection (1) commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or to both.”
He added that gratification is broadly defined in section 3 of the act to include favours of any description and section 23 deals with offences of using an office or position for gratification.
“Would it not appear from the above and from what Muhyiddin said, that a report has to be lodged over the matter under 25(1) of the act?”
He stressed that the allegations made by Muhyiddin are serious in nature and have been carried extensively in the press.
Noting that it is a matter of great public interest, he said it must be dealt with in accordance with the law.
“I call upon Muhyiddin to respond. Did he lodge a report and if he did, did he state the names of those he alleged approached him?
“If he did not, then he should explain why not,” he said.
Gobind’s questions for Muhyiddin come after a statement by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat last Friday (January 14) that she had never been approached by any party to interfere in court decisions.
Speaking in a media conference, Tengku Maimun said she believed that the same can also be said for the other judges while stressing that all judges made decisions based on evidence presented in court and therefore will not be able to deviate from that principle.
Following those remarks from Tengku Maimun, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had urged the Pagoh MP to come forth and explain why he had made such a claim in the first place.
In a live telecast on August 4, 2021, Muhyiddin revealed there were unnamed quarters who were unhappy with him for not entertaining some of their demands, which include intervening in their court proceedings.
Several MPs from Umno, which was a coalition ally in Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, are currently facing court charges.
They are Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, and Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.
Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, who was once part of the “court cluster”, was acquitted by the Kuala Lumpur High Court of two criminal charges involving money laundering and giving a false statement to the MACC.
The term “court cluster” was applied to the group of Umno leaders and lawmakers facing graft allegations in court. – The Vibes, January 18, 2022
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