MALAYSIA, KUALA LUMPUR, June 20, 2025 – The Kuala Lumpur High Court today granted former Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Razak a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in a money laundering case linked to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1MDB. The decision follows delays by the prosecution in preparing essential evidence documents.
Najib, charged in 2019 under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, faced allegations of receiving RM27 million in illicit funds related to SRC. Despite six years since the charges were filed, the trial has yet to proceed due to the prosecution’s failure to complete and submit required evidence.
Judge YA K Muniandy approved Najib’s DNAA application, citing the prolonged delay. Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, in a statement, expressed respect for Najib’s right to seek the DNAA and the court’s ruling but raised concerns over the prosecution’s inefficiencies.
“It is baffling that the prosecution has taken so long since 2019 to prepare the necessary documents,” Rafizi said, noting that SRC-related financial trails are relatively clear, given Najib’s prior conviction in a separate SRC case. Najib is currently serving a sentence following a guilty verdict in the first SRC trial.
Rafizi urged the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to swiftly refile charges and prepare documents to ensure the case proceeds promptly. “The public deserves accountability in a scandal already proven to involve wrongdoing,” he said, emphasizing the need to avoid perceptions of leniency due to prosecutorial lapses.
As a Member of Parliament, Rafizi vowed to closely monitor developments to keep the case in the public eye.
The AGC has yet to comment on the matter or outline plans to refile charges. The decision has sparked renewed debate over the handling of high-profile financial scandal cases in Malaysia.