KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has maintained the discharge and acquittal of former Umno leader Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan and lawyer Matthias Chang over charges of attempting to sabotage the country's banking and financial system three years ago.
Justice Azman Abdullah made the ruling after DPP Noor Syazwani Mohamad Sobry informed the court that the prosecution was withdrawing its appeal against a Sessions Court decision that acquitted them last year.
"The appeal against the respondents is withdrawn by the prosecution. The acquittal is maintained," he said.
On May 12, 2017, the Sessions Court here acquitted Khairuddin, 56, and Chang, 68, of a joint charge of attempt to sabotage the country's banking and financial system.
They were accused of committing the offence between June 28 and Aug 26, 2015, at five locations namely the Paris police station, Charing Cross police station in London, the Swiss attorney general's office in Bern, the Wai Chan police station in Hong Kong and the Cantonment police headquarters in Singapore.
The charge under Section 124L of the Penal Code provides for imprisonment up to 15 years, upon conviction.
Khairuddin and Chang were represented by lawyers Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla and Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali.
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