Former Malaysian PM Muhyiddin questioned by anti-graft agency on government contract awarded to relative

KUALA LUMPUR: Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin has reportedly been questioned by the country’s anti-graft agency over allegations that a government contract was awarded to a relative when he was Malaysia’s prime minister. 

The Star, citing a source, reported that Mr Muhyiddin was called in by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Thursday (Feb 16) over the contract which was said to be worth over a billion ringgit. 

Last Thursday, Mr Muhyiddin denied claims that he had awarded the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) to IRIS Corp Bhd that was purportedly linked to his son-in-law.

Local media reports had previously named Mr Muhyiddin’s son-in-law, Adlan Berhan, as a possible key player in the contract for the NIISe - an immigration system that seeks to use biometric technology to enable the adoption of e-Gates at Malaysia’s immigration checkpoints. 

In a Facebook post on Feb 9 refuting the allegations against him, Mr Muhyiddin said: “I vehemently deny this accusation. It is an evil slander deliberately designed to defame me and my family.

“I, as the prime minister at the time, was not at all involved in the process of awarding NIISe contract to IRIS Corporation Berhad which was conducted through open tender.” 

Mr Muhyiddin was Malaysia’s 8th prime minister from March 2020 to August 2021. 

INVESTIGATION INTO BERSATU FUNDS NEARING COMPLETION 

A separate investigation by the MACC into Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) funds is also reportedly coming to a close, The Star reported. Mr Muhyiddin is the president of Bersatu. 

A source told the Malaysian daily that an investigation paper on the RM300 million (US$67 million) alleged to have been received by Bersatu from COVID-19 stimulus package funds is now in the final stages of completion by the MACC.

The source reportedly said that once completed, the investigation paper will be handed over to the Attorney General's Chambers for further action.

Mr Muhyiddin had previously denied allegations that Bersatu is funded by dishonest means, claiming earlier in February that the funds were from “legitimate sources”.  

However, according to a New Straits Times report on Wednesday, a source said that checks by the MACC found that almost all donors who contributed to the party's accounts were contractors awarded with government contracts when Mr Muhyiddin was prime minister.

The investigation into Bersatu’s funds was confirmed on Dec 6 when MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said that an investigation paper was opened regarding the alleged embezzlement of RM600 billion in funds used by the previous PN-led government during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022.

Calls for an official investigation into the stimulus spending during the pandemic grew due to perceptions that PN had run a well-funded election campaign leading up to the 15th General Elections on Nov 19 last year.

Several of Bersatu’s bank accounts are currently frozen, as part of MACC’s investigations.