Malaysia drops 1MDB charges against ex-premier Najib

ANKARA

A Malaysian court on Wednesday discharged former Prime Minister Najib Razak from multiple corruption charges involving 6.6 billion ringgit ($1.48 billion) of government funds linked to the 1MDB scandal.

This decision comes as Najib, who is serving a six-year prison sentence for a separate corruption conviction related to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)—a state fund he established in 2009 to drive economic growth—seeks to be released from jail and serve the remaining four years of his sentence at home, according to the local English daily Malay Mail.

Najib and former Treasury Secretary Irwan Serigar Abdullah were granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) for all six charges in the trial.

A DNAA allows the prosecution to re-charge the accused on the same grounds at a later time.

Najib is facing several trials in connection with the 1MDB scandal, as both Malaysian and US authorities allege that around $4.5 billion was embezzled from the state fund in a wide-ranging, international scheme from 2009 to 2014.

In July, both Najib and Irwan Serigar filed separate requests for a DNAA due to the prosecution’s delay in providing hundreds of documents to the defense to build their case against the charges.

The two had pleaded not guilty to the six charges in October 2018.

They were charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same code, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, whipping, and fines upon conviction.

Najib is currently serving his sentence in Kajang Prison in Selangor province.

Earlier this year, the Malaysian monarchy granted him a pardon, reducing his 12-year sentence by half.

In July, Najib applied to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, but his request was denied.