Govt needs to give info on Najib’s ‘supplementary decree’, says Zaid

 

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the Umno president, should be able to provide some clarity.

PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim says the government has “no justification whatsoever” if it is trying to cover up a decree which the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong purportedly issued allowing Najib Razak to serve the rest of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest.

Najib has claimed that Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang, who headed the Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB) as the former king, issued the “supplementary decree” during the board’s meeting on Jan 29, but it was not announced by the board when it revealed it had handed Najib a reduced sentence and fine in his SRC International case.

The former prime minister, who has filed an application in the Kuala Lumpur High Court to compel the government to produce the purported decree, said his lawyers had not received a response after writing to government leaders to confirm whether it existed.

“I want to know why the government did not act upon this decree. If there was no such decree, then they should say so,” said Zaid in a post on X.

“It is a matter of public interest. If a legal impediment is the reason for the non-action, the public should be made aware.

“While we can patiently wait for the deliberation and decision of the court, there is no justification whatsoever in keeping this matter a secret, especially from a transparent and accountable government.”

On Feb 2, the FTPB announced it had halved Najib’s prison sentence in his SRC International case from 12 years to six and reduced his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.

Najib, 70, is serving his sentence at Kajang prison and is expected to be released on Aug 23, 2028.

The High Court today set April 17 to hear Najib’s bid to compel the government to produce the purported “supplementary order”.

Earlier today, government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the Cabinet had not discussed Najib’s claim about the decree, while home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he did not know anything about the matter.

At a press conference, Saifuddin confirmed receiving a letter from Najib’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, asking him to confirm whether the supplementary decree existed, but he said he had “no information on this additional document”.

In his post on X, Zaid said deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the Umno president, should be able to provide some clarity.

Apart from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Najib has said that Zahid and Saifuddin were among the top officials his lawyers had written to, seeking information on the purported decree.

“Umno members will surely want to know if its president knows of this decree, as he should know as deputy prime minister,” said Zaid.

“Why is he keeping mum?” - FMT