KUALA LUMPUR: A senior Malaysian cabinet minister has called on the country’s attorney-general (AG) to explain why high-profile charges against former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin were abruptly dropped.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said public confidence in the justice system would be “heavily eroded” without a full justification for halting the prosecution.
The High Court in Putrajaya acquitted Muhyiddin on four corruption-related charges after prosecutors unexpectedly withdrew them, stating only that they did not wish to proceed.
Muhyiddin was cleared of three counts of money laundering involving RM200m and one count of abuse of power linked to Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd.
Judge Noor Ruwena Nurdin granted the complete discharge after Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib applied for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, without offering a reason for the application in court.
Reacting to the decision, Gobind — who also serves as DAP national chairman — said the sudden reversal required immediate clarification.
“When criminal charges are brought against any individual, the standard expectation is that the prosecution has thoroughly evaluated the evidence and established a strong basis to proceed,” Gobind said in a statement.
“The public is entitled to know what specific material factors or legal considerations changed to prompt the decision to halt the process at this stage. As this case involves significant public interest, transparency is essential.”
He also urged AG Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar to publicly outline the exact grounds for dropping the charges.
Muhyiddin, who served as Malaysia’s prime minister from March 2020 to August 2021, has consistently denied all wrongdoing, maintaining that the charges against him were politically motivated.
