KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has rejected Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s representation to drop his three money laundering charges involving SRC International Sdn Bhd funds amounting to RM27 million.

The decision was related to the High Court during today’s case management on the status of the representation submitted to the AGC in 2023.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul said the prosecution was therefore prepared to proceed with the trial, but also asked for the court to fix longer trial dates to allow for the compilation of voluminous trial documents.

Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah then suggested to court to grant his client a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in the interest of justice as trial has been indefinitely postponed since 2019.

A DNAA means an accused person can face trial for the same charges in the future if the prosecution decides to reinstate them.

“I am suggesting for the court to grant a DNAA. This will remove pressure from both sides,” he said, adding that the prosecution can decide further when everything is in order to proceed with trial at a later date.

On the matter of DNAA, Ashrof said he would leave it to the court’s discretion as his explicit instructions were to proceed with the trial and therefore cannot agree to the defence’s request.

“We cannot agree to the DNAA as we have indicated we are prepared to proceed with trial, however, on issue of documentations we need time,” he said.

High Court Judge K. Muniandy later fixed June 20 to decide on the defence’s application for DNAA.

On February 3, 2019, the former prime minister claimed trial to the three charges of money laundering by accepting illegal proceeds amounting to RM27 million through his three AmPrivate Banking accounts at AmIslamic Bank Berhad, AmBank Group Building, Jalan Raja Chulan on July 8, 2014.

He was charged under Section 4 (1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, which is punishable by a maximum fine of RM5 million or imprisonment of up to five years, or both upon conviction.

The former Pekan MP is currently serving a jail term in Kajang Prison for the misappropriation of RM42 million in the SRC International funds case.

On September 2, 2022, he filed a petition for a royal pardon, following which on January 29 the Pardons Board halved his jail term from 12 to six years and reduced the fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.