Muhyiddin’s lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, confirmed to Bernama that King’s Counsel Steven Suppiah Perian would be joining the Bersatu president’s defence team, which consists of a total of 14 lawyers, including Hisyam.
They will appear at the hearing of Muhyiddin’s application for leave to review the Court of Appeal’s decision, scheduled before a five-member panel of judges next Tuesday.
The other lawyers are K Kumaraendran, Rosli Dahlan, Amer Hamzah Arshad, Chetan Jethwani, Dev Kumarendran, Low Wei Loke, Kee Wei Lon, Teh See Khoon, Joshua Tay, Siti Sumaiyyah Ahmad Jaafar, Lee Yee Woei, Tang Jia Yearn and Nur Fatin Hafiza Hasham.
Perian returned to Malaysia early this year from the UK and joined the law firm, Messrs Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership.
He is licensed to practise law in both the UK and Malaysia, which exempts him from requiring permission to appear before Malaysian judges.
A King’s Counsel is a senior lawyer, either a barrister or solicitor advocate, recognised for his outstanding skill and experience in advocacy in the UK and other Commonwealth countries.
Perian was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2016 and is renowned for his contributions as a King’s Counsel specialising in criminal law in London. He was the first Malaysian Queen’s Counsel admitted to the High Court of Malaya in 2019.
On March 27, Muhyiddin applied for leave to seek a review of the Court of Appeal’s decision in February to reinstate four charges against him that the High Court previously dismissed.
The 77-year-old Pagoh MP is charged with using his position as then prime minister and Bersatu president to solicit RM232.5 million in bribes for his party from three companies — Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, and Mamfor Sdn Bhd — as well as from businessman Azman Yusoff.
He is accused of committing the act at the Prime Minister’s Office, Bangunan Perdana Putra, in Putrajaya, between March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021.
Muhyiddin also faces two charges of receiving RM195 million from illegal activities via Bukhary Equity, deposited into Bersatu’s CIMB Bank account.
He allegedly committed the act at CIMB’s Menara KL branch at Jalan Stesen Sentral between Feb 25 and July 16, 2021, and between Feb 8 and July 8, 2022.