KUALA LUMPUR: The Court of Appeal has upheld the High Court's decision that Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang cannot be charged under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 for allegedly attempting to sabotage the banking and financial services.

The three-member panel unanimously decided on Tuesday that there was no merit in the prosecution’s appeal, upholding the decision by the High Court last year.

Khairuddin, 53, and Chang, 65, face charges under Section 124L of the Penal Code for allegedly attempting to sabotage Malaysia’s banking and financial institutions.

The High Court decided last year that Section 124L of the Penal Code for the offence of attempting to sabotage could not be read together with Sosma 2012.

The duo were charged in October last year with attempting to sabotage the country’s banking and financial services.

They allegedly committed the offence at five locations between June 28 and Aug 26 this year – the office of France’s Economic and Financial Crimes Division chief in Paris, Charing Cross police station, London, office of the Switzerland Attorney-General in Bern, Wai Chan police station in Hong Kong and Cantonment police headquarters, Singapore.

Both are facing up to 15 years in jail.