KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak was charged again at the Sessions Court here with three counts of money laundering involving RM47 million five years ago.
Najib, 66, who was clad in a blue suit, pleaded not guilty to the charges before judge Azman Ahmad today.
Yesterday, the former prime minister was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) by the High Court.
This was following the High Court’s decision to allow an application by Attorney-General Tommy Thomas to drop the three charges framed against Najib on Jan 28.
For the three charges, Najib was accused of being involved in money laundering by receiving a total of RM47 million in illegal proceeds in his three AMPrivate banking accounts.
The offences were allegedly committed at AmIslamic Bank Bhd, Ambank Group Building, No 55, Jalan Raja Chulan on July 8, 2014.
The charges framed under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, carries a maximum fine of RM5 million or an imprisonment not exceeding five years or both, if convicted.
Deputy public prosecutor Manoj Kurup proposed a personal bond to be imposed on Najib as there was no bail imposed on the accused at the High Court on Jan 28 as it was additional charges to the existing charges.
“We also take into consideration that the accused is already facing many charges and has posted over RM6 million bail. We are agreeable to a personal bond,” he said.
Meanwhile, Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah thanked the prosecution team for proposing the personal bond saying that it was a fair proposal.
He also said he would raise an objection against the three charges as there was a significant defect in all the charges.
“These charges were substantively the same charges the prosecution bulldozed over to the High Court (on Jan 28) and yesterday, the AG said he withdrew the charges as there was a fundamental error bringing the case to the High Court before going to the lower court, he said.
The court then imposed a personal bond on Najib without a surety and fixed March 8 for mention.
On Jan 28, Najib was charged at the High Court with three additional money laundering charges. However, yesterday the High Court gave him a DNAA before he was charged again today.
Up until today, Najib has been charged seven times in court with 42 counts, including today’s charges.
On July 4, last year, Najib was charged with three counts of misconduct and a charge of abusing his post over SRC International’s funds of RM42 million.
On Aug 8, the same year, he was charged with three counts of money laundering involving the same amount belonging to SRC International.
On Sept 20, Najib was brought back to the Sessions Court and was charged with four counts of corruption amounting to RM2.28 billion involving 1MDB funds and 21 money laundering counts.
On Oct 25, he and former Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, were charged with six counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM6.6 billion of government funds.
On Dec 12, 2018, the former prime minister pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court to a charge of using his position by ordering the Final Audit Report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) to be amended before tabling it to the National Public Accounts Committee (PAC), to avoid any action against it.