Najib launches new bid to drop charges linked to RM6.6bil IPIC payments
Published on: Wednesday, August 09, 2023
By:
FMT, Ho Kit Yen
Najib Razak (left) and Irwan Serigar Abdullah are accused of misappropriating RM6.6 billion in government funds through payments to IPIC in 2018.
Kuala Lumpur: Najib Razak’s lawyers have submitted fresh representations for the prosecution to drop charges brought against him for allegedly misappropriating RM6.6 billion in public funds through payments to the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC).
Deputy public prosecutor Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi told the High Court today they received Najib’s representations last week, and they needed more than a month to review it.
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“These (new) representations involves a lot of documents,” he said, urging the court to fix another date for case management.
However, Najib’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, argued that three weeks should be enough for the prosecution to consider the representations.
Justice Jamil Hussin fixed Sept 12 for case management.
In April, Shafee indicated that the defence would submit fresh representations for Najib’s criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges to be dropped.
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This followed a new development in the case which saw the government settle its legal dispute with IPIC.
The defence previously sent representations to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in 2020 but they were rejected.
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Co-accused Irwan Serigar Abdullah has also submitted representations to the AGC but has yet to receive a response.
In 2018, Najib and Irwan were jointly charged with six counts of misappropriating RM6.6 billion in public funds involving payments to Abu Dhabi state-owned IPIC.
Their lawyers had in the past sought a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) from the court on grounds that the trial never commenced.
However, the court dismissed the application, saying the prosecution was ready for the trial.
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