The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said a technical issue had arisen with the initial charge filed against Abdul Razak Ismail, 65, this morning.

“This issue has been resolved and the individual will be re-charged at the Johor Bahru magistrates’ court this afternoon,” it said in a statement today.

“The AGC remains committed to ensuring that justice is served in accordance with the provisions of the law.”

The AGC also said it deemed the prosecution against the man to be appropriate.

Earlier today, the Johor Bahru magistrates’ court granted Razak a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA).

He had pleaded guilty to a charge of voluntarily causing hurt to a man at a shopping mall in Johor Bahru on March 16, but later disputed the facts of the case.

This prompted magistrate A Shaarmini to reject the guilty plea and order the case to go to trial.

However, before a trial date could be set, deputy public prosecutor Nur Fatihah Nizam requested for a DNAA as the prosecution had been ordered to refer the case to the AGC.

Previously, the victim said on X that he was having a meal at a convenience store in a Johor Bahru shopping mall when a man asked him if he was Chinese.

When he replied that he was, the man demanded to see his MyKad. He claimed that after he refused to do so, the man became angry and slapped him several times.

The man’s son then defused the situation and apologised on his behalf. The victim said he accepted the apology by the man’s son, but still needed to make a police report as it was a physical assault in a public place.