Former Malaysian PM Muhyiddin charged with abuse of power, money laundering

KUALA LUMPUR -- Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday was charged with six counts of abuse of power and money laundering.

For the first four counts of abusing power, Muhyiddin was accused of soliciting bribes from four separate entities amounting to 232.5 million ringgit (51.44 million U.S. dollars).

The other two counts of money laundering were filed under the country's anti-money laundering laws, in which Muhyiddin was accused of receiving and depositing bribes totaling 195 million ringgit.

According to Bernama, Malaysia's national news agency, Muhyiddin could face a jail term of up to 20 years and a heavy fine, if found guilty for abuse of power. He could face imprisonment for up to 15 years and a hefty fine, if convicted of money laundering.

Muhyiddin has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Muhyiddin was detained Thursday and was released on bail later in the day.

Muhyiddin, who served as Malaysia's prime minister for 17 months between March 2020 and August 2021, is the chairman of the Perikatan Nasional party. (1 ringgit equals 0.22 U.S. dollar)