KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak over three money laundering charges involving RM27 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
Justice K. Muniandy made the decision after allowing Najib’s application for the DNAA.
A DNAA means the accused is temporarily discharged from the charges, but may still be prosecuted for the same offences in the future if the prosecution decides to reinstate them.
In his ruling, Judge Muniandy noted that the case against Najib has been pending since 2019 without a single witness being called. Instead, it has been marked by persistent postponements, indicating that the prosecution is not prepared to proceed.
“Yet the prosecution is still not prepared to prosecute the case in the near future, as it has yet to procure and gather the necessary documentary proof to be used as evidence against the accused. The prolonged wait for trial has become a drawn-out ordeal for the accused, denying him a timely resolution,” he said.
The judge also noted that the charges relate to offences allegedly committed in 2014, and yet, as of 2025, the case has still not proceeded to trial, a delay the court viewed with concern.
“By virtue of these factors, the most appropriate order was for this court to discharge the accused without acquitting him, so that he is not burdened with the charges currently preferred against him.
“In fact, there is no prejudice to the prosecution with this discharge, which in common parlance, is referred to as a DNAA, as it may still proceed with the case once it is ready to do so,” he said.
Last week, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul informed the court that the Attorney-General’s Chambers had rejected Najib’s representation to drop the charges.
However, he requested the court to set longer trial dates to allow time for compiling the voluminous trial documents.
In response, Najib’s counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, suggested that the court grant his client a DNAA in the interest of justice, noting that the trial has been repeatedly postponed since 2019.
Speaking to the press after the proceedings, Muhammad Shafee said Najib welcomed the court’s decision, as it meant fewer charges now hanging over him.
“Najib said he can now focus on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case,“ he said. Najib was present in court today.
