GUA MUSANG, Malaysia (Reuters) -Malaysia has charged opposition leader and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin with sedition for allegedly insulting the country's former king, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, was charged at a court in the northeastern state of Kelantan with sedition over remarks made in a political speech this month. He pleaded not guilty, his lawyer said.
Malaysia practices a unique form of monarchy, where the country's nine sultans take turns to be king every five years. The monarchy plays a largely ceremonial role and is held in deep respect.
Negative remarks about royalty can be prosecuted under a colonial-era Sedition Act.
In a political speech on Aug. 15, Muhyiddin had allegedly questioned the credibility of former King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah following Malaysia's general election in 2022, which resulted in a hung parliament, according to local media reports.
In the speech, Muhyiddin said, according to the reports, that he had secured the backing of sufficient lawmakers to form a government after the election but questioned why Al-Sultan Abdullah had not invited him to be sworn in as the country's premier, the reports said.
Al-Sultan Abdullah appointed Anwar Ibrahim prime minister in November 2022. Al-Sultan Abdullah's five-year reign as king ended in January.
Al-Sultan Abdullah has made no public comment on the reported remarks by Muhyiddin and his office could not immediately be reached for comment.
Muhyiddin, who leads Malaysia's conservative, Malay-centric opposition bloc, faces up to three years in prison and a maximum penalty of 5,000 ringgit ($1,148) if found guilty, his lawyer said.
He has also been accused of corruption and money laundering in a separate case filed against him last year - charges he has deemed politically motivated.
Anwar's government has denied targeting political rivals, saying the charges were part of an effort to tackle high-level corruption.
($1 = 4.3540 ringgit)