Kuala Lumpur: The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has dismissed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's plea to drop three additional money laundering charges linked to RM27 million sourced from SRC International Sdn Bhd's funds. This decision was conveyed by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul during a mention of the case before High Court Judge K. Muniandy.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mohd Ashrof stated that the representation had been rejected and the prosecution intended to proceed with the trial. He informed the court of the AGC's decision and requested trial dates. Simultaneously, he sought additional time to gather necessary documents and prepare witness statements.
Najib, on February 3, 2019, had claimed trial to three charges of money laundering, involving illegal proceeds amounting to RM27 million through his AmPrivate Banking accounts at AmIslamic Bank Berhad, AmBank Group Building, on July 8, 2014.
Mohd Ashrof also mentioned the SRC's RM42 million case, previously overseen by then High Court Judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, involved 807 exhibits needed for the current trial. He requested the High Court registry to return these exhibits to the prosecution, noting the process would take time and asked for extended trial dates.
Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, proposed a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to avoid overloading the court's docket and give the prosecution time to prepare. He argued that the representation, submitted on July 31, 2023, had merit due to the conclusive nature of the first SRC trial and subsequent appeals, noting the six-year delay since 2019, with documents scattered across various courts.
Judge K. Muniandy sought the prosecutor's stance on the DNAA application, to which Mohd Ashrof disagreed, affirming the prosecution's readiness to proceed but reiterated the need for more time to secure pertinent documents.
The court set June 20 to decide on Najib's DNAA application. Najib, under Section 4 (1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, faces a maximum penalty of RM5 million or a five-year prison term, or both, upon conviction.
Currently serving a sentence at Kajang Prison for misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds, Najib filed for a royal pardon on September 2, 2022. On January 29, 2024, the Pardons Board reduced his jail term from 12 to six years and lowered the fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.