FORMER Sabah chief minister Musa Aman was today acquitted of 46 graft and money-laundering charges linked to timber concessions.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin agreed to the defence’s application to acquit the Umno politician after earlier allowing the prosecution’s application to withdraw the charges.

Musa’s acquittal comes less than a month after Riza Aziz, former prime minister Najib Razak’s stepson, was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal after being charged with five counts of money-laundering involving US$248 million (RM1.07 billion) via a Hollywood production house.

Putrajaya said it was part of an agreement that will see Riza returning about US$107 million in assets to Malaysia.

Today’s acquittal means Musa cannot be tried again for the same offence. 

His lawyer Francis Ng told The Malaysian Insight that today was initially set for case management to hear two pending applications by the defence – one to strike out the charges and another to raise a constitutional issue within the case.

This morning, deputy public prosecutor Azhar Abdul Hamid instead withdrew the charges against Musa, acting on instructions from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Ng requested the court for a full acquittal. He informed the court that the prosecution had previously withdrawn five corruption charges against Musa in October and that the defence sought a final conclusion to the case.

“We are happy the prosecution have withdrawn the charges. The judge is guided by the law,” said Ng on Jamil’s decision to grant an acquittal.

Musa, 69, does not have any other outstanding criminal charges against him.

He has one ongoing civil case where he is suing to be recognised as the rightful Sabah chief minister, following the results of the 2018 general election. That case will be heard by the Federal Court.

For the criminal case that he was just acquitted for, Musa had faced 30 charges of corruption and 16 charges of money-laundering.

The corruption charges alleged that Musa in his capacity as Sabah chief minister and chairman of the board of trustees of the Sabah Foundation, had received US$50.1 million (RM220.2 million) from eight logging concessionaires as an inducement to approve logging concessions for 16 companies.

He was alleged to have committed the offences at eight banks and financial institutions in Hong Kong, China and Singapore between December 20, 2004, and November 6, 2008.

For the money-laundering charges, Musa was alleged to have instructed Richard Christopher Barnes, 67, to open an account at UBS AG Bank in the latter’s name, with the intention of receiving proceeds of illegal activities through the account.

Musa was alleged to have received US$37,845,491.60 and another sum of SG$2.5 million in proceeds from illegal activities from several individuals through the account under Barnes’ name.

Musa was also alleged to have concealed the proceeds of illegal activities. – June 9, 2020.