MONEY-LAUNDERING charges against former Najib Razak spin doctor Paul Stadlen have been dropped after he returned RM7.19 million linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said.

Stadlen agreed to voluntarily surrender the full sum of RM7.19 million, to be placed in the account of 1MDB, as part of an agreement with the anti-graft agency and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the MACC said in a statement today.

“(The return of funds by Stadlen) was decided after taking into account that it was the appropriate amount to be forfeited. Following this, the charges against him (Stadlen) have been withdrawn,” the MACC said.

The agency added that the AGC had also decided to withdraw the charges against Umno lawyer Hafarizam Harun after the lawyer settled a compound of RM591,000 issued under Section 92 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

He had been due to stand trial today for alleged involvement in laundering RM15 million, the MACC added.

The MACC did not state when Stadlen returned the funds or when the charges had been withdrawn.

The public relations specialist, who headed the Kuala Lumpur office of APCO Worldwide, and consulted for Najib, was charged in absentia in February 2019 with two money-laundering charges involving RM15 million.

He was accused with ordering two transfers – of RM8.11 million and RM6.14 million, allegedly from illegal activities – from the bank account of a client at Hafarizam’s law firm to several individuals and a company. The transfers were made in 2014 and 2015.

Hafarizam was also charged in February 2019 with two money-laundering charges involving the same funds, allegedly received from Najib.

He was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on August 3 last year, but was subsequently charged anew on three counts over the same amount.

The three charges stated that between April 2014 and February 2015, he received three cheques from Najib’s account at AmIslamic Bank Bhd, which were deposited into the account of Hafarizam’s law firm.

Media reported that Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court granted the acquittal to Hafarizam after the prosecution applied to withdraw the three money laundering charges.

One of Hafarizam’s lawyers, Hasnal Redzuan Merican, told Malaysiakini he applied for the lower court to grant an acquittal and discharge, as Hafarizam had paid the compound to the MACC yesterday. – July 30, 2021.