Kuala Lumpur: The High Court here has freed former prime minister Najib Razak from a charge of alleged abuse of power by causing amendments to the 1MDB audit report.
Co-accused and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy was also acquitted of a charge of abetting Najib in the commission of the offence.
Justice Zaini Mazlan held that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Najib under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
The trial began on Nov 18, 2019.
The prosecution closed its case on Sept 7, 2022 after calling 16 witnesses, including the late Ali Hamsa, former chief secretary to the government.
The other witnesses who took the stand were former auditors-general Ambrin Buang and Madinah Mohamad, former 1MDB chairman Bakke Salleh, and former National Audit Department audit director Saadatul Nafisah Bashir Ahmad.
The court had also previously allowed the prosecution’s bid to call Arul Kanda to testify on its behalf.
Najib was accused of abusing his power to obtain immunity from legal action and causing amendments to the finalised 1MDB audit report prior to its tabling before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Arul Kanda is accused of abetting him in the commission of the alleged offence.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Department in Putrajaya between Feb 22 and 26, 2016.
