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He was earlier asked to go to the MACC headquarters at 11am.
In a statement, the MACC said Muhyiddin was arrested at 1pm today after he was called in to provide statements in connection with the Jana Wibawa programme.
The MACC also said it had obtained permission from the Attorney-General’s Chambers to charge Muhyiddin in a Kuala Lumpur court tomorrow.
“Muhyiddin, who is also Bersatu president, will face several charges under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 and Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA),” it said.
Section 23 of the MACC Act sets out the offence of using one’s office or position for gratification and carries a penalty of up to 20 years’ jail as well as a fine five times the value of the gratification involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Section 4(1)(b) of the AMLATFPUAA refers to the offence of “acquiring, receiving, possessing, disguising, transferring, converting, exchanging, carrying, disposing or using the proceeds of an unlawful activity”. It carries a penalty of up to 15 years’ jail and a fine five times the value of the proceeds at the time the offence was committed, or RM5 million, whichever is greater.
Muhyiddin – who yesterday dispelled claims that he was arrested at a golf course in Selangor – previously confirmed that he had been summoned by MACC over projects awarded under Jana Wibawa, a Covid-19 stimulus programme to help Bumiputera contractors. The programme was introduced in November 2020 when he was the prime minister.
The Bersatu president is the latest to be arrested in connection with the Jana Wibawa programme. Two Bersatu leaders – Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Segambut deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad – were charged in court last month for soliciting and accepting bribes over projects involving Jana Wibawa.
Meanwhile, Bersatu treasurer-general Salleh Bajuri was released by MACC on March 3 after he was arrested and remanded for two days, with sources stating that Salleh’s arrest was linked to investigations into the Jana Wibawa programme and the Akar Umbi Pemacu Negara (AkuPN) online application.
AkuPN was an initiative launched by PN in 2021 to help youths get jobs, attend upskilling programmes, or start their own businesses.
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