Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has backed Najib Abdul Razak’s claim of a supplementary royal order for the former prime minister’s remaining jail sentence to be served under house arrest.
The Umno president supported Najib’s claim in an affidavit filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 9.
Zahid claimed that on Jan 30 during a meeting in his house at Country Heights, International Trade and Investment Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz informed him of the addendum order dated Jan 29.
“I verily believe that for the sufficient period of time I sighted and read the addendum order, and I clearly saw the entire contents and that it forms part of the pardon process of the applicant, which is supplementary to the main (royal) order both dated Jan 29.
“Thus, I hereby confirm the existence of the addendum order dated Jan 29, issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“I also verily believe that other than myself and Zafrul, other members of the government have seen the addendum order. Specifically, I am aware that (Pahang Menteri Besar) Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail has also seen a copy of the addendum order and can confirm the same,” the Bagan Datuk MP alleged.
The Umno president further claimed that while he did not have a copy of the royal addendum as it was confidential in light of the order not yet being executed, he confirmed that the document is in the possession of the respondents.
Najib's judicial review targeted seven respondents including the home minister, the prisons commissioner-general, the attorney-general, the Federal Territories Pardons Board, the minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of law and institutional reform, the director-general of Legal Affairs Division in the Prime Minister's Department, and the government.
"I am further verily informed that the honourable attorney-general has an original copy of the addendum order for his legal input on the same," Zahid claimed.
‘Critical witness’
On April 4, Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the media that a “critical witness” was set to file an affidavit to support Najib's judicial review seeking to serve house arrest for the remainder of his six-year jail sentence over the RM42 million SRC International corruption case.
Najib is seeking leave to commence the judicial review for implementation of an alleged supplementary order by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong linked to the partial pardon that halved his jail sentence to six years and discounted his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.
On April 1, while serving jail time at the Kajang Prison over the RM42 million SRC International corruption case, Najib filed the judicial review leave application.
House arrest provision
According to Najib’s affidavit in support of his judicial review, the former Pekan MP claimed that the king’s main royal order allowing the partial pardon was accompanied by a supplementary royal order containing the house arrest provision.
The former Umno president is seeking a court order to compel the home minister, the attorney-general, the Pardons Board, the federal government, and a few other respondents to confirm this alleged addendum in the partial pardon.
According to a copy of the judicial review bid, Najib claimed that the Agong issued the addendum on Jan 29, the same day as the main partial pardon order.
Najib is seeking a court order to compel the respondents to not only confirm the royal addendum but also to “forthwith remove the applicant from Kajang prison facility to his known residences in Kuala Lumpur, where the applicant would continue to serve his imprisonment sentence under house arrest.”
Najib also seeks a mandamus order to compel the respondents to provide the original version of the royal addendum, costs, and any other relief deemed fit by the court.
He claimed in his affidavit to support the judicial review that his rights had been adversely affected and infringed upon by the respondents in ignoring his inquiries over the alleged royal addendum.
He claimed that the respondents’ disregard of his request constituted a direct intrusion of his basic rights under the Federal Constitution and also amounted to direct contempt of the Agong.
Najib further alleged that the respondents are trying to conceal the existence of the alleged royal addendum.
‘Not on the list’
On March 4, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail assured that Najib is not on the list of prisoners who will be serving time under house arrest.
The minister told Malaysiakini that only prisoners serving less than four years of jail time, senior citizens, pregnant women and people with disabilities will be on the home detention list.
“Najib is not included in that list,” he said.
Earlier, Harian Metro reported that Putrajaya’s newly proposed house arrest for prisoners was intended to reduce overcrowding in jails, not to be abused by convicted leaders.
Saifuddin reportedly dismissed the claim that the home detention policy was meant to allow Najib to serve his remaining prison term in the comfort of his home as ill-intentioned.
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