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Debt collector in drug deal gone wrong blames ex-friend for man’s death
Police found Ralph Matthews Cox critically injured at a house in Landsdale in January 2022.(ABC News)
Peter Nguyen-Ha, 35, is on trial in the WA Supreme Court accused of murdering Ralph Matthews Cox, 47, in what the prosecution claims was a "drug deal gone wrong".
On Friday, Matthew Harley Gempton — who has already pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Matthews Cox — told the court he had witnessed Mr Nguyen-Ha firing a shotgun into the home.
Gempton will be cross-examined on Monday.
A debt collector turned prosecution witness in a Perth murder trial has described how his former friend fired shots into a suburban home, killing an innocent man.
Peter Nguyen-Ha is on trial, accused of murdering Ralph Matthews Cox, who was shot dead through the bedroom window of his Landsdale home in January 2022.
The court had heard that Mr Nguyen-Ha and Matthew Harley Gempton had gone to the home looking for another man over stolen money.
Gempton, who has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Matthews Cox, has taken the stand to give evidence for the prosecution in return for a reduced sentence.
Gempton told the WA Supreme Court Mr Nguyen-Ha loaded a shotgun when they were driving to Landsdale, assuring him they were only "salt rounds".
Peter Nguyen-Ha, 34, is on trial in the WA Supreme Court accused of murdering Ralph Matthews Cox.(Supplied: Anne Barnetson)
The court heard that when they arrived Mr Nguyen-Ha walked to the house, wearing a mask and carrying the shotgun.
He told the court he heard someone say "who turned the power off" and "who's out the front".
Gempton told the court Mr Nguyen-Ha called out "where's Anthony Prior" and then fired three times.
He said he then heard a woman scream.
He described the third shot as "definitely louder" than the others and said he saw "a big flame that lit up the front of the house".
Bullet holes in the bedroom window of a house in Landsdale, in Perth's northern suburbs, where Ralph Matthews Cox was fatally shot.(Supplied: Supreme Court of Western Australia)
He told the court that when Mr Nguyen-Ha got back into the car, he said he "just shot at the window, the corner of the window" to scare them.
Gempton maintained he did not find out until later that someone had died, when he saw it on the news.
Police had said Mr Cox, who suffered fatal injuries in the shooting, had no involvement with crime and was an innocent victim.
Gempton was a debt collector for drug money, telling the court he used to drive Mr Nguyen-Ha around in return for money and meth.
Bullet holes in the bedroom window of Ralph Matthews Cox.(Supplied: Supreme Court of Western Australia)
The 36-year-old said he had been using methylamphetamine "more than once a day".
He also told how he came to shoot himself in the leg after Mr Nguyen-Ha was assaulted, and had tens of thousands of dollars stolen in December 2021.
He said he was driving someone else's car, searching for Mr Nguyen-Ha, who had asked him to go to a 7-Eleven in Wangara.
Gempton said he looked around inside the vehicle for a weapon and found a rifle he did not know was there.
"Pulled it out and sat it on my lap, and it went off," Gempton said.
"Scorched all the nerve endings on one side.
A court exhibit of Matthew Gempton in hospital after he shot himself in the leg.(Supplied: Supreme Court of Western Australia)
"Just pissing out blood on one side."
He went to Joondalup Hospital, where he was interviewed by police but lied to them, claiming he was shot by a bikie.
Gempton denied firing any guns on the night of the Landsdale shooting, or in earlier incidents in Girrawheen and Wanneroo which took place days earlier.
In these, he and others, including Peter Nguyen-Ha, had allegedly targeted the wrong homes looking for Anthony Prior.
Prosecutor Beau Sertorio asked Gempton why he had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges if he had never actually fired a weapon.
The 36-year-old said he still "had a role to play", saying he did not call police after the first shooting at Girrawheen.
Forensics officers scour the scene after the shooting death of Ralph Matthews Cox.(ABC News)
He told the court that initially, he "thought it was just going to be a fight with Anthony Prior" and following that he "got told to go" to the other scenes.
At Wanneroo and Landsdale he was "just driving", he said.
The court heard Gempton's sentence was cut by more than five years and nine months, to 12 years, and he could be re-sentenced if he did not give full and truthful evidence.
He is due to be cross-examined on Monday.
Topic:Defence and National Security
Chris Brown pleads not guilty to allegedly beating a music producer in a nightclub
Chris Brown is accused of beating a music producer in an "unprovoked attack."(Reuters: Isabel Infantes)
Singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent in a UK court.
He is accused of seriously beating a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023.
His trial is scheduled to begin on October 26, 2026.
Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Friday to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023.
Brown, 36, pleaded not guilty in Southwark Crown Court to one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
Brown's friend and fellow musician Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who performs under the name Hoody Baby, pleaded not guilty to the same charge.
Prosecutors said Brown and Akinlolu assaulted producer Abe Diaw at a bar in the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighbourhood in February 2023.
Brown allegedly launched an unprovoked attack on Mr Diaw and hit him several times with a bottle, and then punched and kicked him.
The attack was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, prosecutors said.
Omololu Omari Akinlolu is Chris Brown's co-defendant.(Reuters: Chris J Ratcliffe)
Brown was originally charged with a single count of grievous bodily harm after his arrest in May, but prosecutors subsequently brought an indictment adding two counts: assault causing actual bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle.
When a court clerk asked Brown how he pleaded to the grievous bodily harm count, he replied: "Not guilty ma'am."
Brown did not enter pleas on the additional counts and was ordered to return to court on July 11 to face those charges after wrapping up the European leg of his world tour.
Brown was released last month on 5 million British pounds ($10.39 million) bail, which allowed him to start his world tour earlier this month.
His trial is scheduled to begin on October 26, 2026.
Brown, who burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for F.A.M.E. and then earned his second in the same category for 11:11 (Deluxe) earlier this year.
His hits include songs such as Run It, Kiss Kiss and Without You.
His tour is due to kick off June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July.
Topic:Defence and National Security
Trump can keep control of National Guard in LA, appeals court rules
The National Guard troops were federalised by Donald Trump and deployed to Los Angeles despite opposition from state officials.(ABC News: Emily Clark)
An appeals court has allowed Donald Trump to maintain control of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
It comes after California's governor sued the president for federalising the guard without coordinating with him.
Governor Gavin Newsom says he plans to challenge the ruling.
A US appeals court has let Donald Trump retain control on Thursday of California's National Guard while the state's Democratic governor proceeds with a lawsuit challenging the Republican president's use of the troops to quell protests in Los Angeles.
Mr Trump's decision to send troops into Los Angeles prompted a national debate about the use of the military on US soil and inflamed political tension in the country's second most populous city.
On Thursday (local time), a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals extended its pause on US District Judge Charles Breyer'sJune 12 rulingthat Mr Trump had unlawfully called the National Guard into federal service.
Mr Trump probably acted within his authority, the panel said, adding his administration probably complied with the requirement to coordinate with Governor Gavin Newsom, and even if it did not, he had no authority to veto Mr Trump's directive.
"And although we hold that the president likely has authority to federalise the National Guard, nothing in our decision addresses the nature of the activities in which the federalised National Guard may engage," it wrote in its opinion.
Mr Newsom could still challenge the use of the National Guard and US Marines under other laws, including the bar on using troops in domestic law enforcement, it added.
California governor Gavin Newsom has sued the Trump administration.(Reuters: Mike Blake)
The governor could raise those issues at a court hearing on Friday in front of Judge Breyer, it said.
In a post on X after the decision, Mr Newsom vowed to pursue his challenge.
"The president is not a king and is not above the law," he said.
"We will press forward with our challenge to President Trump's authoritarian use of US military soldiers against our citizens."
Mr Trump hailed the decision in a post on Truth Social.
"This is a great decision for our country and we will continue to protect and defend law-abiding Americans," he said.
"This is much bigger than Gavin, because all over the United States, if our cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should state and local police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done."
Judge Breyer's ruling was issued in a lawsuit against Mr Trump's action brought by Mr Newsom, where he ruled that Mr Trump violated a US law governing a president's ability to take control of a state's National Guard by failing to coordinate with the governor.
It also found that the conditions set out under the statute to allow this move, such as a rebellion against federal authority, did not exist.
Judge Breyer ordered Mr Trump to return control of California's National Guard to Mr Newsom.
Hours after Judge Breyer acted, the 9th Circuit panel had put the judge's move on hold temporarily.
Amid protests and turmoil in Los Angeles over Mr Trump's immigration raids, the president on June 7 took control of California's National Guard and deployed 4,000 troops against Mr Newsom's wishes.
Mr Trump also ordered 700 US Marines to the city after sending in the National Guard. Judge Breyer has not yet ruled on the legality of the Marine Corps mobilisation.
At a court hearing on Tuesday on whether to extend the pause on Judge Breyer's decision, members of the 9th Circuit panel questioned lawyers for California and the Trump administration on what role, if any, courts should have in reviewing Mr Trump's authority to deploy the troops.
A US appeals court has temporarily blocked a federal judge's order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California.
The law sets out three conditions by which a president can federalise state National Guard forces, including an invasion, a "rebellion or danger of a rebellion" against the government or a situation in which the US government is unable with regular forces to execute the country's laws.
The appeals court said the final condition had probably been met because protesters hurled items at immigration authorities' vehicles, used a trash dumpster as battering rams, threw Molotov cocktails and vandalised property, frustrating law enforcement.
The Justice Department has said once the president determines an emergency exists that warrants the use of the National Guard, no court or state governor can review that decision. The appeals court rejected that argument.
The protests in Los Angeles ran for more than a week before they ebbed, leading Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to lift a curfew she had imposed.
In its June 9 lawsuit, California said Mr Trump's deployment of the National Guard and the Marines violated the state's sovereignty and US laws that forbid federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement.
The Trump administration has denied that troops are engaging in law enforcement, saying they are instead protecting federal buildings and personnel, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
The 9th Circuit panel is comprised of two judges appointed by Mr Trump during his first term and one appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden.
Topic:Defence and National Security
Topic:Defence and National Security
Pro-Palestinian activists break into UK military base and damage planes
Topic:Defence and National Security
The activists broke into the military base during the night.(Reuters)
Pro-Palestinian activists have damaged two Royal Air Force planes after breaking into Brize Norton Base in Oxfordshire.
The British government said two planes were being checked for damage and that the vandalism had not stopped any planned aircraft movements or operations.
The UK defence minister has ordered an investigation and a review of wider security at the country's military bases.
Pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in central England, damaging and spraying red paint over two planes used for refuelling and transport.
Palestine Action said two members had entered the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire on Friday, local time, putting paint into the engines of the Voyager aircraft and further damaging them with crowbars.
Aerial footage showed red paint marks on the aircraft and police officers nearby.
"Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets," the group said in a statement, posting a video of the incident on X.
Britain's Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident, and said it "strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the vandalism "disgraceful" in a post on X.
The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel.(Reuters: Palestine Action/Handout)
The government said two planes were being checked for damage, and that the vandalism had not stopped any planned aircraft movements or operations.
"A full security review is underway at Brize Norton," Mr Starmer's office said.
"We are reviewing security across the whole defence estate."
British defence minister John Healey ordered an investigation and a review of wider security at the country's military bases.
"The vandalism of RAF planes is totally unacceptable," Mr Healey said on X.
"I am really disturbed that this happened and have ordered an investigation and a review of wider security at our bases."
Palestine Action is among groups that have regularly targeted defence firms and other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza.
The group said it had also sprayed paint on the runway and left a Palestine flag there.
The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led Palestinian militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies.
Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all of the territory's residents and caused a severe hunger crisis.
The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies.
Topic:Defence and National Security
Four cooks share their secrets to the perfect winter roast
Succulent and juicy, fall-apart slow-cooked pot roast lamb with fennel, potatoes and lemon.(ABC News: Alice Zaslavsky)
There's something comforting about the smell of a roast wafting through the house on a chilly day.
It's an investment of time and ingredients, which can make it daunting.
Chefs and cooks share their tips and tricks to nail the perfect winter roast at home, from meats to vegetarian options.
If you ask chef Matt Golinski, based on the Sunshine Coast/Kabi Kabi lands, there is nothing easier (or tastier) during winter than aslow-roasted lamb shoulder.
"Really, all you're doing is just throwing it into a tray," he says.
"It's probably simplest bit of cooking you'll ever do."
If you love a good pork crackling and are a beginner, try chef and cookbook author Hayden Quinn'scrispy pork shoulder with green apple slaw.
Hayden Quinn's crispy crackling pork.(ABC TV)
Nipun Liyanapathirana creates cooking videos for social media and adds a tasty twist to a traditional beef roast.
While you're not cooking a whole chunk of meat, his Sri Lankan spiced beef roast (similar to the popularKerala beef fry) is "hearty, comforting, and full of depth and flavour".
"It gives you the same exact finish as a typical roast, but the preparation and techniques used is completely different," he says.
His technique means the meat is unlikely to be overcooked.
Nipun Liyanapathirana says cooking a Sri Lankan/Kerala spiced beef gives the same finish as a typical roast.(Supplied: Nipun Liyanapathirana)
Alice Zaslavsky, a cookbook author and host of A Bite To Eat with Alice, has previously shared her favourite tips for theperfect roast chickenwith ABC Lifestyle. Her favourite method is "the dry-and-hot" (dry brine and hot oven).
A roast chicken in a tray and a bowl of penne pasta topped with cheese and parsley, made with the leftover meat and fat.(ABC News: Alice Zaslavsky/Luke Tribe)
Vegetarians and vegans fear not, Hetty Lui McKinnon has many recipes for veggie-forward winter roasts that she has shared with us previously.
"I remember a time when the non-meat option on a feasting table was lentil loaf," the food writer and cookbook author says.
"Luckily, food has evolved, and a show-stopping vegetarian main can now be as exciting as anything else on the table."
A serving plate with a whole roasted head of cauliflower, covered in tumeric sauce, coriander leaves, lentils, a vegetarian main.(ABC Life: Hetty McKinnon)
She has recipes for astunning roast butternut pumpkinand awhole roasted red cabbage with a maple glaze, which can become the star of your next meat-free celebration table.
Topic:Defence and National Security
Topic:Defence and National Security
Australians stranded in Bali last time urge others not to repeat their mistake
Australians who were in Bali during the 2017 volcano eruption warn the importance of having travel insurance.(Unsplash: Tommao Wang)
Brisbane woman Teresa was excited about her girls' trip to Bali in 2017.
Her group even extended their trip to enjoy the Indonesian holiday island a little longer.
But when the time came to fly home, Bali's Mount Agung threw their plans into chaos.
The volcano erupted in November of that year, causing some 150,000 residents to evacuate from their homes nearby.
Mount Agung erupting, sending an ash cloud high into the sky.(Supplied: Missy Brown)
Bali'sbusy Denpasar airport was also closeddue to ash fall from the mountain.
"The whole thing was a debacle," said Teresa, who is again in Bali for a holiday.
She told the ABC she was "experiencing deja vu".
Bali airport has reopened followingthis week's eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Lakion the nearby island of Flores, but holiday-makers are warned that disruptions may continue.
The backlog of flights delayed or cancelled because of the eruption is expected to take some time to clear despite some airlines resuming services.
But Teresa, who only wants to be identified by her first name, said this time she didn't make the same mistake as in 2017 — not taking out travel insurance.
During the previous trip, only one of Teresa's friends had travel insurance.
"She was able to get a Singapore Airlines flight out quickly, about three days after the eruption," she said.
"One friend was flown to Sydney [as a transit point] where the airport was closed at the time and there was no accommodation available.
It was a similar story for another one of her friends, who was flying home to Perth but had to stay overnight in Darwin.
"The airport there was closed at night. She sat on her suitcase until the next morning," she said.
For Teresa, it took just over a week to leave Bali — and even then it wasn't a direct trip home.
"I had to fly to Melbourne first, then I got put into a run-down motel the airline had booked for the passengers," she said.
Indonesia's transport ministry said some 14,000 travellers had been affected by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki.
They said despite the airport returning to normal operations, a backlog of passengers was expected to take some time to clear.
The massive eruption could be seen as far as 150 kilometres away.(AP)
A number of flights between capital cities and Bali scheduled for Wednesday morning were cancelled after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Tuesday evening.
Others slated for Wednesday evening were delayed for hours.
Indonesian authorities raised the volcanic alert to the highest level and two villages were evacuated.
Denpasar airport operators said in a statement on Wednesday that 87 flights were affected by the eruption — 66 international and 21 domestic.
Around 14,000 passengers have have plans disrupted by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki.(ABC News: Ari Wu)
The international flights affected included legs to and from Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Singapore, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City.
Andrew was in the Indonesian city of Bandung during Mount Agung's eruption in 2017.
He said unlike Teresa's experience, having travel insurance covered the cost of his cancelled flight and accommodation.
"My flight from Bandung to Bali was cancelled, so I had to stay a few extra days until a flight was available," he told the ABC.
Lombok, an island east of Bali, is a 2.5 hour boat ride from Bali.(Unsplash: Julie Romaniuk)
Andrew managed to get a flight to Lombok, where he stayed overnight.
The next morning, he caught a boat to Bali, where he now lives.
"My travel insurance covered everything," he said.
These experiences reiterate how travel insurance is "essential protection" for holidays, said CHOICE insurance expert Jodi Bird.
"The volcano affecting travel to Bali is a perfect example. If you bought your travel insurance in time, it will help you with the cost of cancelling or rescheduling your holiday," Mr Bird told the ABC.
Mr Bird said in order to be covered for natural disasters, you need to buy travel insurance before the incident becomes "a known event".
Otherwise, it could be too late.
Jodi Bird says Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki's eruption is "a perfect example" of having travel insurance at the right time.(Supplied: Jodi Bird)
An event becomes "known" when it is publicised in the media, or official government websites, like the government's Smartraveller.
"For a major event, like the Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, many insurers will publish advice on their website about when you needed to buy the policy to be covered," Mr Bird said.
However, he said some insurers have cut off cover in the last few days: "The trick is to know your destination and buy travel insurance when you book your trip."
Travel insurance can be purchased from a direct insurance company, or through travel agencies like Webjet and Flight Centre. In other cases, some credit card providers offer complimentary travel insurance as a perk.
When choosing a policy, it is important to understand the coverage and exclusions.
Topic:Defence and National Security
What is hypoxia and why is it so dangerous on planes?
The crash site of the twin turboprop Gulfstream 695A, that crashed near Cloncurry, killing the pilot and two camera operators on board.(Supplied: ATSB)
Blue lips, slurred speech, euphoria, confusion — these are just some of the warning signs of hypoxia, a lack of oxygen in the body, which can be deadly in the air.
It's rare, but hypoxia has been behind several fatal plane crashes in Australia.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which investigates aircraft incidents, recently found thata 2023 triple-fatal crash near Cloncurry was "entirely preventable"and that the pilot likely suffered hypoxia caused by a well-known, long-standing defect.
Respiratory specialist Dr Ian Yang says, put simply, it's low oxygen in the body and brain.
Dr Yang says common symptoms include confusion, rapid breathing, a racing heart and a false sense of calm.
"A lot of our patients living with moderate to severe conditions like COPD (lung disease) will have low oxygen but it's very rare in the general community," he says.
"If someone comes to us with moderate to severe lung conditions we test in our laboratory to test what their oxygen levels are, if it drops too low we'll recommend they need oxygen on the plane."
Hypoxia can start around 10,000 feet if cabin pressure drops and oxygen systems fail.(Flickr: David Spinks)
Aviation doctor and pilot Dr Hui Tan says hypoxia can start silently above 10,000 feet, if cabin pressure drops and oxygen systems fail.
"Pilots might feel fine, then suddenly can't function," he says.
Dr Tan says some have reported tingling ears, nausea, or warmth before losing awareness.
The ATSB has investigated seven major hypoxia-related incidents since the late 90s, from a 2000 crash that killed all onboard, to a 2020 case where a pilot passed out mid-flight.
In many cases, pressure systems failed or oxygen masks weren't working.
Some pilots, particularly those in the military, undergo hypoxia simulation training to learn to spot the symptoms early.(Supplied: Flying Whales)
Yes, with training and awareness.
Some pilots, particularly those in the military, undergo hypoxia simulation training to learn to spot the symptoms early.
Dr Tan operates a specialised hypoxia chamber in Western Australia to help pilots experience and recognise the signs of low oxygen in a safe way. He himself has experienced it first-hand.
"I was quite taken aback by the symptoms, it was similar to being under the influence where you have the light-headedness and I was convinced if I experienced that again in an aircraft I'd know what those symptoms were and I could do something about it," he says.
Dr Tan helps pilots recognise the signs of hypoxia by simulating it in a hypoxia enclosure.
"That's why we offer the training we do, so pilots can experience these symptoms first-hand in our enclosure and, if something happens in future, recognise the same hypoxia symptoms and put their oxygen mask on before they start troubleshooting.
"Where people get in trouble is where they don't recognise the symptoms.
"I set this up to give pilots awareness and if I save one life from hypoxia then this training has been worth it."
In-flight? Immediate oxygen and descent.
Air traffic controllers are also trained to spot signs including slurred pilot speech and can direct aircraft to descend quickly to safer altitudes.
Dr Yang says on the ground, treatment depends on the cause, but in aviation, it is all about quick recognition and fast action.
A plane crash that killed three people in outback Queensland was "entirely preventable" and was caused by a well-known, long-standing defect.
"The treatment for those with underlying conditions like COPD can include inhalers or exercise, and in serious cases oxygen," he says.
"In aviation the treatment for patients with low oxygen is oxygen on the plane."
The fatal 2023 crash is subject to an open coronial investigation.
In a statement, a CASA spokesperson says the Cloncurry incident highlights the importance of being aware of the risk of hypoxia.
"We note the ATSB’s report and are considering the findings," the spokesperson says.
Topic:Transport Accidents and Incidents
Topic:Defence and National Security
Former Malaysia PM discharged but not acquitted of money laundering charges
Najib Razak was found guilty of corruption involving theft from the 1MDB state fund in 2020.(AP: Vincent Thian, File)
Former prime minister Najib Razak has been discharged of money laundering charges.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August 2022 after being found guilty of corruption.
He is also facing three separate money laundering charges.
Malaysia's High Court has discharged but not acquitted former prime minister Najib Razak of money laundering charges.
The long-running case involved a former unit of scandal-tainted state fund 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad), his lawyer said on Friday.
Mr Najib had 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 1MDB.
Malaysian and US authorities said about $US4.5 billion ($6.8 billion) was stolen in a complex, globe-spanning scheme.
He was also facing three separate money laundering charges over 27 million ringgit ($9.8 million), allegedly misappropriated from SRC.
The case had repeatedly stalled since 2019 due to procedural delays, prompting the Kuala Lumpur High Court to grant Mr Najib's request for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal 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.
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 Mr 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.
Mr 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.
Mr 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.
Topic:Defence and National Security
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