Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and former treasury chief Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah were granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in a graft case linked to the 1MDB scandal. The decision stems from the prosecution's failure to provide crucial documents on time.
Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak faces several trials linked to 1MDB , from which Malaysian and US authorities say about US$4.5 billion was stolen.
He said the DNAA was granted because the prosecution did not comply with Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code, which mandates that the prosecution must provide the accused with specific documents before the trial begins.“The DNAA order does not prejudice the prosecution’s case. The prosecution could still re-charge them again,” said Justice Muhammad Jamil.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi had told the court that there were about 40 documents that have yet to be declassified under the OSA, and that the prosecution had no control over this process. “Why did they fail the public this time? Any such perceived incompetency would raise suspicions of political interference,” Mr Jerald said.
The court decision, and the prosecutor’s failure to proceed with the case, has cast doubt on other criminal charges facing Najib, who is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for a graft conviction involving RM42 million belonging to a 1MDB subsidiary, SRC International. That jail sentence, meted out in August 2022, was halved to six years by a Pardons Board chaired by Malaysia’s previous king, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, in January 2024.
Another criminal trial is set to begin on Dec 2, with Najib facing charges of receiving illicit funds worth RM2.28 billion from the coffers of 1MDB and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same monies.
FORMER MALAYSIAN PM NAJIB RAZAK 1MDB GRANT DISCHARGE MALAYSIA
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