PARLIAMENT | Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today refused to confirm whether there was a royal addendum by the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong granting Najib Abdul Razak house arrest, citing legal obstacles.
However, he said as the matter continued to arise, he had mooted for the current Agong to deliberate.
“As this matter continues to arise, I had proposed for consideration by the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong, to - at a time considered appropriate by the Agong - to refer the matter to the Pardons Board which the Agong will chair,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said this in response to a query by Sheikh Mohmed Puzi Sheikh Ali (BN-Pekan) who asked whether Anwar had plans to meet the Pahang sultan, who allegedly issued the addendum, to resolve the matter.
Earlier, Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) pressed Anwar to confirm whether the addendum existed.
However, the prime minister said he could not answer at the moment, citing parliamentary rules barring sub-judice discussions for ongoing court cases.
He added that prime ministers are not allowed to comment on decisions made by the Agong regarding pardons unless there is permission from the monarch or the matter is resolved in court.
Hence, he assured that he would answer in Parliament once a court battle over the addendum is resolved in January.
In the meantime, Anwar only confirmed that it was he who brought Najib’s pardon bid to the attention of the previous Agong - Pahang’s Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah - in December 2023, citing a right for the former premier’s plea to be heard.
However, he stressed that the alleged addendum was not discussed at the time.
Nizar’s affidavit
In his reply to Anwar, Takiyuddin questioned the truth in Mohd Nizar Najib’s affidavit which alleged the existence of the addendum.
"I want to ask, is this true? My next question is, in all of this time, why did the government not speak the truth about the existence or lack thereof of this addendum?
"Is this not lies and disobedience towards the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's orders?
"And is this not also considered wrongful imprisonment from a legal perspective?" he said.
Anwar then questioned Takiyuddin's legal credentials, referring to the rules preventing sub judice.
He fired back at the opposition for defending Najib in this matter after all of its condemnation.
"(You are) looking for a cheap political stunt. And the hypocrisy is he is now Najib's champion," Anwar scoffed.
Last Tuesday (Dec 5), Nizar filed an affidavit affirming that the Pahang sultan told him about the existence of a royal addendum for his father to serve the remainder of his six-year jail sentence as house arrest.
It is understood that there is a court order restricting the public from gaining access to the document via online file search at the judiciary's official website.
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