PETALING JAYA: Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli today called on the prosecutors in Najib Razak’s RM27 million money laundering case to explain why it was taking them so long to prepare the necessary evidence.
In a statement, the Pandan MP said Malaysians did not want to see the case end merely because of the prosecutors’ failure to prepare evidence, given its connection with the SRC International Sdn Bhd scandal.
“I do not understand why the prosecution took so long (since 2019) to prepare the documents necessary for the case.
“From my experience studying and exposing the 1MDB and SRC scandal before this, the misappropriation (of money) involving SRC has a clear money trail,” he said.
Earlier in the High Court, Najib was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in the case involving SRC.
Justice K Muniandy said there was nothing to show that the prosecution would be able to proceed with the case for the time being, or proceed within a reasonable time.
He also said that in the six years since the case was brought against Najib in 2019, it had seen no pursuit of witness testimony, only a plethora of postponements, indicating that the prosecution was not ready.
“Once the accused is charged in court, the charge cannot be hanging over his head for an indeterminate or indefinite period. That would be harsh and illegal,” he said.
The decision followed a submission last week by Najib’s counsel Shafee Abdullah that it was unfair for his client to wait indefinitely for a fixed trial date, as the prosecution was unable to provide a timeline to gather the exhibits used in the previous SRC trial.
Rafizi said he respected Najib’s right to request a DNAA, but urged the prosecution to confirm that the Attorney-General’s Chambers would refile charges against the former prime minister as soon as possible.
“As an MP, I will follow developments in this case closely to ensure that it does not slip from the public eye,” he said.
