Malaysian corruption trial halted as PM Muhyiddin faces pressure over draft budget
- The public prosecutor has called for a discharge not amounting to acquittal in the case involving Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, an Umno ally of ex-premier Najib Razak
- The move comes as rumours swirl that PM Muhyiddin Yassin is struggling to maintain the slim majority of his coalition, which includes Umno
“There have been new developments that need to be investigated properly and the prosecution does not want to waste this honourable court’s time, because we are unsure how long it will take to investigate the case,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Julia Ibrahim.
The prosecutor said the new developments centred on a witness who had already testified, and that further investigations had to be carried out on the case which involves a 1 million ringgit (US$245,700) bribe.
“Due to those reasons, we are appealing for the accused to be granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal while the matter is sorted out,” she said of the trial, which began in 2018 after Tengku Adnan’s United Malays National Organisation (Umno) party lost the general election and was investigated for corruption from its successors, the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
There was no immediate comment from the prime minister’s office or the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Without a confidence and supply agreement in parliament to boost his majority, [Muhyiddin] is a political beggar who cannot be choosy