A letter from the Pahang palace has been submitted to the court, confirming that the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah issued a royal addendum concerning house arrest for Najib Abdul Razak.
Najib’s counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah tabled the letter before the Court of Appeal this morning.
The letter, signed by the Comptroller of the Royal Household for the Sultan of Pahang Ahmad Khirrizal Ab Rahman, confirmed that Sultan Abdullah ordered Najib to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest.
“Referring to the matter above, I respectfully inform that His Royal Highness Sultan of Pahang Sultan Abdullah, in his capacity as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, had decreed that Najib shall serve the remainder of his imprisonment through house arrest, as stated in the royal addendum dated Jan 29, 2024.
“In relation to this, through this letter, I, on behalf of His Royal Highness the Pahang sultan as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, hereby certify that the aforementioned royal addendum issued by His Majesty is valid and authentic,” the letter read.
The letter was issued to Pahang exco Mohd Nizar Najib, the eldest son of the former prime minister.
Kept hidden
Submitting in court today, Shafee said the Pahang royal household comptroller contacted Nizar on Jan 4, informing him that a letter would be issued to him.
He added that a day later, on Jan 5, Nizar received a letter that confirmed the existence of a royal addendum allowing Najib to serve his sentence under house arrest.
The lawyer also stated that the addendum had been kept hidden until it surfaced on Dec 2 last year.
Responding to the applicant, senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan said that the Pardons Board meeting on Jan 29 last year did not deal with any alleged royal addendum for Najib to serve the remainder of his jail term as house arrest.
Instead, the Pardons Board’s legal representative argued that the board on Jan 29 last year only dealt with the royal advice regarding a potential reduction of Najib’s jail sentence and fine.
He said the Court of Appeal ought to reject the attempt to admit Nizar’s affidavit.
Judge Azizah Nawawi chaired the three-person Court of Appeal bench, with judges Azhahari Kamal Ramli and Mohd Firuz Jaffril as panel members.
On Dec 28 last year, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said Najib’s bid for house arrest must go through the proper channel, namely the Pardons Board.
The AGC explained that this was to prevent the king’s decision, based on the advice of the Pardons Board, from being challenged in court.
On Jan 3, Istana Negara also stated that if any party wishes to seek clemency for a prisoner, the application must be made by the convicted person to the Pardons Board chaired by the Agong. - Mkini
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