(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s High Court dropped one of the cases against former Prime Minister Najib Razak related to troubled state fund 1MDB, the New Straits Times reported Wednesday.
High Court Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin granted Najib a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, according to the report. This leaves room for the prosecution to lay the same charges in the future against him. The former premier will still remain behind bars for other crimes related to 1MDB.
It’s a rare win for Najib, who faces several 1MDB-linked trials, and comes a month after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomed his public apology.
In this case, Najib was charged with six counts of criminal breach of trust involving 6.6 billion ringgit ($1.5 billion) in funds linked to payments to the International Petroleum Investment Company, an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. Najib has denied any criminal involvement in the scheme.
The court made the decision after the prosecution failed to provide the defense team with documents related to the trial, according to the report. Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi told the court he had no authority over classified documents. Najib’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Najib’s cases remain a lingering political headache for Anwar, who must balance competing interests to stay in power. The jailed former leader retains significant influence in the United Malays National Organisation party, which is part of Anwar’s coalition government formed after a hung parliament in 2022.
Still, any concessions made to Najib could weaken the prime minister’s credibility and support base. Anwar has denied interfering in the court cases.
(Updates with further details throughout)
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