Former Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's bid to have his three remaining money-laundering charges set aside for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) has hit a roadblock, as the Sessions Court has granted the prosecution's application to temporarily stay the proceedings. This decision comes in light of an impending Court of Appeal ruling on a related appeal.
The Sessions Court judge, Azura Alwi, justified the stay by citing the need for an urgent judicial decision and ensuring justice for all parties involved. She emphasized the importance of avoiding disruption to the proceedings, especially with the Court of Appeal's hearing scheduled for February 28 and 29.
Muhyiddin's legal journey began in March 2023 when he was charged with four abuse of power charges and three money-laundering charges. In April 2023, he successfully applied to have the four abuse of power charges struck out by the High Court, which also acquitted him. The prosecution appealed this decision in September 2023.
In response to the stay application, Muhyiddin's lawyer, Chetan Jethwani, argued against the need for exceptional circumstances justifying the stay. He asserted that a DNAA for the money-laundering charges was warranted, given the striking out of the predicate offences (the four abuse of power charges). Chetan contended that Muhyiddin should be allowed to enjoy the fruits of the High Court's decision.
On the other hand, deputy public prosecutor Zander Lim Wai Keong argued that a stay was necessary to maintain the status quo until the Court of Appeal's decision on the four charges. He emphasized the prosecution's right to appeal and the potential prejudice if a stay were not granted.
The Sessions Court's decision to grant the stay means that Muhyiddin's application to set aside his three money-laundering charges will be put on hold until the Court of Appeal rules on the abuse of power charges. The court also clarified that Muhyiddin's passport, which was surrendered as part of his bail conditions, could be temporarily released upon application.
Kamran is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
