Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was charged on Friday with corruption and money laundering over dealings related to a COVID-19 fund he set up while in power, dealing a blow to the opposition ahead of state elections in the coming months.
Muhyiddin, who was in office between March 2020 and August 2021, pleaded not guilty at a Kuala Lumpur court to all charges, including abusing his power as prime minister and president of his Bersatu party to solicit and receive bribes totaling roughly 230 million ringgit ($51 million) from various sources on behalf of Bersatu.
The four corruption charges could see him facing a maximum of 20 years in prison, while the two money-laundering charges could mean up to 15 years in prison, in addition to a hefty fine, if he is convicted.
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Muhyiddin slammed the charges as a form of "organized political persecution" by the ruling coalition parties intended to destroy the opposition.
He urged party members to stay calm, saying, "Give me the chance to defend myself through the legal process."
Muhyiddin was detained Thursday when he presented himself for questioning over the Jana Wibawa program, created as part of a COVID-19 stimulus package to assist ethnic Malay contractors under a government affirmative action policy. He was released on bail later in the day.
The move came ahead of six state elections, which must be held by August.
Muhyiddin is the second prime minister to face corruption charges after former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is serving a 12-year jail term after millions of dollars found in his bank account were later traced to a subsidiary belonging to the beleaguered state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Muhyiddin came to power just as COVID-19 swept across the globe, which he responded to by instituting strict public health measures, including closing the country's borders and imposing emergency rules. But his reign lasted only 17 months due to a power struggle between the United Malays National Organization and Bersatu.
Muhyiddin was in a neck-and-neck race for the premiership with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after the general election last November that resulted in a hung parliament.
Muhyiddin's National Alliance, anchored by the ethnic Malay-centric Bersatu, lost against Anwar's multi-ethnic Alliance of Hope, but Anwar was only able to secure the top job after another bloc -- the National Front -- threw its support behind Anwar.
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