Bukhary Equity's RM5mil donation perfectly legal, claims Bersatu Youth chief

SHAH ALAM: The RM5mil from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd was a perfectly legal donation, claims Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (pic).

The outgoing Bersatu Youth chief said that the money received was perfectly legal and that the new charge against Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday (March 13) was another act of political persecution.

"The donation was done legally through the legal banking system.

"This is clearly a form of selective political persecution," he told reporters outside the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

He added that political donations were a common practice among all parties and that every other political party should also be investigated.

A small crowd of Perikatan Nasional supporters were also chanting “Hidup Tan Sri” while former prime minister Muhyiddin waved to the crowd as he left the court's gates.

Among the crowd were Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris, Johor Perikatan Nasional chief Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal and Johor Perikatan Nasional deputy chairman Mohd Solihan Badri.

In a brief press conference after hearing the charge against him, Muhyiddin said that the court has agreed to move his cases to Kuala Lumpur court.

“I have pleaded not guilty to the charge and I have requested for the case to be transferred to KL court,” he told the reporters here.

Aside from Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, other Perikatan leaders, Gerakan President Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai, Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu and the coalition's Sabah chapter chairman Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee were also present at the court.

Muhyiddin was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Illegal Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001 read together with Section 87 (1) of the same Act.

He was accused of receiving the RM5mil that was deposited into the Bersatu AmBank account on Jan 7 last year.

Last week, Muhyiddin was slapped with multiple charges for graft and money laundering at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.

He was charged with four counts of abuse of power involving RM232.5mil as well two counts of money laundering involving RM195mil.

The charges had been framed under the Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009 and the AMLATFPUAA 2001 respectively.