KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today allowed three money-laundering charges against former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak in the SRC International Bhd case to be withdrawn.
“In view of the request by the public prosecutor, I order the accused be discharged of the three additional charges not amounting to an acquittal,” said Judge Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, however, said the withdrawal of the charges did not amount to an acquittal, and that he will be applying for the three charges to be brought to the sessions court instead.
The withdrawal request was submitted by Thomas in a move to assist the court.
“I propose not to proceed on those three charges before this court.
“I will be charging the accused with those charges before the sessions court shortly,“ he said.
A motion filed by Najib’s legal team, to postpone the trial scheduled on Feb 12 pending an appeal was also rejected.
Nazlan also ruled that Najib’s seven charges of money laundering be moved from the sessions court to the High Court, as allowed for under Section 417(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
“The seven charges (registered under a separate case) will be transferred from the Sessions Court to the high court to expedite the ends of justice in this case,” he said. Other charges against Najib had also been transferred to the High Court.
Najib has so far been charged six times in court with 42 counts.
On July 4, Najib was charged with three counts of misconduct and one charge of abusing his post over SRC International Sdn Bhd’s fund of RM42 million.
On Augt 8, he was charged with three counts of money laundering involving the same amount belonging to the same fund.
On Sept 20, Najib was brought back to the sessions court and charged with four counts of corruption amounting to RM2.282 billion 1MDB funds and 21 money laundering charges.
On Oct 25, he and former Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, requested that the case be heard at the sessions court on six counts of criminal breach of trust involving funds amounting to RM6,636,065,000, owned by the Malaysian government.
On Dec 12, 2018, the former prime minister pleaded not guilty at the sessions court here on a charge of using his position by ordering the Final Audit Report on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to be amended before being tabled at the National Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
On Jan 28 this year, he was charged with three additional charges involving money laundering totaling RM47 million, five years ago which was withdrawn today.
