KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 20 (Alliance News): Malaysia’s High Court has granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to former Prime Minister Najib Razak in a money laundering case linked to the scandal-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), his lawyer confirmed on Friday.
Najib, who has been imprisoned since August 2022 following a conviction over the misappropriation of funds from SRC International — a former subsidiary of 1MDB — was facing three additional money laundering charges involving 27 million ringgit ($6.4 million).
These charges have now been effectively dropped, though the court left the door open for prosecutors to refile them later.
The case has been delayed multiple times since 2019 due to procedural complications. Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said the DNAA decision was fair and freed Najib from “having the sword of Damocles hanging over his head,” while still allowing the prosecution to proceed in the future.
This marks the second time 1MDB-related charges against Najib have been dropped due to procedural reasons. In 2023, he was granted a similar discharge in another corruption case and was also acquitted of charges related to tampering with a government audit into 1MDB.
Najib, however, still faces the largest 1MDB trial, with the court set to hear final arguments in October. He has consistently denied all charges against him.
Additionally, Najib is pushing to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, citing the existence of a royal directive, which he is trying to compel the government to publicly confirm.
