Speculation was rife earlier this week that Mr Muhyiddin will be arrested by the authorities over the stimulus aid programme.
The Jana Wibawa programme was an economic generation project during Malaysia’s COVID-19 movement control order. It was a stimulus aid package that was meant to help Bumiputera contractors.
The MACC has been investigating allegations that the chosen contractors for the aid programme had deposited RM300 million (US$67.69 million) into Bersatu’s account.
Two members of Bersatu have since claimed trial in connection to the Jana Wibawa case – Tasek Gelugor Member of Parliament Wan Saiful Wan Jan as well as businessman and Segambut Bersatu division deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad.
Separately, another man has been charged for accusing the MACC of offering RM10 million to Wan Saiful to implicate Mr Muhyiddin in the Jana Wibawa case.
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.
The probe into Jana Wibawa began after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim found in his capacity as finance minister that high-expenditure projects such as Jana Wibawa did not go through a tender process.
Several bank accounts belonging to Bersatu are currently frozen by the nation’s anti-graft agency.
A separate probe into Mr Muhyiddin is also ongoing over allegations that a government contract was awarded to a relative during his tenure as prime minister.
He had previously been summoned by the anti-graft agency last month over the contract which was said to be worth over a billion ringgit.
MUHYIDDIN BARRED FROM TRAVELLING OVERSEAS
Local media also reported that Mr Muhyiddin has been barred from travelling overseas.
According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Bersatu is challenging the travel ban imposed on its party president in a judicial review application filed in the High Court.
The application by Bersatu said that the travel ban was imposed as “Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is worried that Muhyiddin will speak about the political changes and developments in Malaysia at an international forum”, FMT reported.
Bersatu further claimed that the travel ban was wrongly imposed and was aimed at tarnishing the Pagoh Member of Parliament’s reputation, FMT reported.
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