Latest news with #AttorneyGeneral
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Forensic lab boss is suspended in scandal over contaminated DNA samples
The director of a state-run forensic testing lab has been suspended by Queensland government in the latest scandal over botched DNA sampling. It follows a pause in testing at Forensic Science Queensland sparked by the identification of contamination issues, Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said on Friday. 'This action was taken following advice I received today that (Forensic Science Queensland) was placing a general pause on routine DNA testing after contamination issues were identified,' she said. The pause will be reviewed after seven days as the lab determines next steps and laboratory director Dr Linzi Wilson-Wilde will be asked to explain why she should not be removed. Urgent matters will progress in a limited capacity with appropriate controls, Ms Frecklington said. Forensic Science Queensland was established in 2023 following multiple inquiries, one of which revealed a 'fundamentally flawed' automated DNA extraction method might have led to offenders potentially escaping conviction for nine years from 2007. Many samples went untested while others were incorrectly ruled insufficient, an earlier inquiry found. The inquiries also elicited characterisations of a 'toxic' culture at the state-run forensic lab. More than 40,000 samples fell within the scope of a historical review process, of which close to 10,000 had been reviewed as of May. Ms Wilson-Wilde was appointed director in September after serving as interim chief executive. Dr Wilson-Wilde was stepping into 'what will undoubtedly be a very challenging role', Ms Frecklington said at the time. Following news of the testing pause, Ms Frecklington moved to immediately suspend her, pending a show cause notice for removal. 'I want to assure Queenslanders the Crisafulli government remains firmly committed to fixing the long-standing issues at Forensic Science Queensland,' she said.
Malay Mail
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘I do not interfere': Anwar says Najib's RM27m SRC case discharge decision up to judge, AG
PUCHONG, June 20 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asserted that he had no involvement in the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision to grant a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak over three money laundering charges involving RM27 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd. 'That is the judge's decision, and the Attorney General's. I do not interfere,' he said briefly when approached by reporters after performing Friday prayers at Masjid Kampung Seri Aman today. Earlier, Judge K Muniandy allowed the defence's application for a DNAA, citing the prosecution's lack of preparedness to proceed with trial proceedings, which have been marked by persistent postponements since 2019. The court was informed that the prosecution had yet to obtain the necessary documentary evidence. The delay, the judge noted, had denied the accused the right to a fair and timely resolution of the case. A DNAA means the accused is temporarily discharged from the charges, but may still be prosecuted for the same offences in the future if the prosecution decides to reinstate them. — Bernama
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia's Najib discharged over US$6.3 million money laundering case
A judge on Friday discharged disgraced former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak from a US$6.3 million money laundering case after ruling that the prosecution had failed to provide relevant documents to the defence. The ruling marks the second time a case involving Najib has been dismissed due to prosecutorial inaction, raising fresh questions about the conduct and priorities of the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC). Najib, who led the country for nine years until his defeat in the 2018 general election, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence following his 2020 conviction in the first of several 1MDB-related cases . For this case, he has maintained that he was granted the right to home detention under the directive of Malaysia 's previous king. On Friday, High Court judge K. Muniandy granted Najib's application for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) after defence lawyer Shafee Abdullah argued that it was unjust to keep the former prime minister in legal limbo for more than six years without a confirmed trial date. '[Najib] is very happy simply because there are not too many cases overhanging his head [now],' the lawyer told reporters after the verdict. A DNAA does not absolve the accused of an alleged offence and allows the prosecution to refile charges at a later date. Najib, now 72, was initially charged in February 2019 with three counts of receiving 27 million ringgit (US$6.3 million) in proceeds from unlawful activities through three personal bank accounts on July 8, 2014.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Malaysia drops 1MDB-related money laundering charges against ex-PM Najib
By Rozanna Latiff KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysia's High Court has discharged but not acquitted jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak of money laundering charges in a long-running case involving a former unit of scandal-tainted state fund 1MDB, his lawyer said on Friday. Najib has been in prison since August 2022 after being found guilty of corruption and money laundering over funds misappropriated from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Berhad, from which Malaysian and U.S. authorities say about $4.5 billion was stolen in a complex, globe-spanning scheme. He was also facing three separate money laundering charges over 27 million ringgit ($6.4 million) allegedly misappropriated from SRC. The case had repeatedly stalled since 2019 due to procedural delays, prompting the Kuala Lumpur High Court to grant Najib's request for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) on Friday, his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters. Muhammad Shafee said the decision was a fair one, as the prosecution remained free to re-file the charges once they were ready to proceed. "So (Najib) isn't left waiting or as they say, no longer has the sword of Damocles hanging over his head," he said. The attorney-general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Friday's decision was the second time 1MDB-linked charges filed against Najib have been dropped. Last year, a court allowed another DNAA request due to procedural delays in a corruption case against the ex-premier and the country's former treasury chief. In 2023, he was also acquitted on separate charges of tampering with a government audit into 1MDB. Najib is still awaiting a verdict in the biggest trial he faces over the 1MDB scandal, with the court expected to hear closing arguments in October. He has denied all of the charges brought against him. Najib is also bidding to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, and has sought to compel the government to confirm the existence of a royal order that he says would allow him to do so. ($1 = 4.2470 ringgit)
Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Shafee: Najib ‘happy' over DNAA in stalled RM27m SRC case, relieved with fewer cases hanging over him now
KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak has expressed happiness over the discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in his final criminal case involving SRC International Sdn Bhd funds amounting to RM27 million, despite still being a prisoner. Najib's lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah conveyed this to reporters when asked of the former's reaction to the latest development in court this morning. 'He is happy simply because there are not too many cases hanging over his head. He has been asking for a DNAA for some time. Now he can concentrate on the 1MDB case,' Muhammad Shafee said at a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex here. A DNAA means an accused person can face trial for the same charges in the future if the prosecution decides to reinstate them. In granting the DNAA order, High Court judge K. Muniandy said the rule of law was applicable to prevent such a detrimental situation whereby an accused person is saddled with criminal charges with no outcome for an indefinite and indeterminate period. Najib was previously charged in 2019 for the present case, but trial has been indefinitely postponed since then for a myriad of reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the final appeal of his RM42 million SRC International criminal case. The prosecution previously sought the court to grant a further extension to allow for the compilation of voluminous trial documents after indicating it was prepared to proceed with trial, following the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) recent rejection of a representation submitted by Najib two years ago. However, Muniandy said there was nothing to show that the case can be prosecuted expeditiously in the short future and that the likelihood of further postponement of the trial is inevitable. With today's DNAA, Najib has only the 1MDB trial still pending. Najib is currently imprisoned at the Kajang prison, as he is serving his jail term — now reduced to six years — after the Federal Court upheld his conviction in August 2022 over a separate criminal case involving SRC International Sdn Bhd's RM42 million. He was also previously acquitted over the removal of key information from the auditor-general's 2016 report on 1MDB; and granted a DNAA in his RM6.6 billion International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) criminal breach of trust case.
