4-4-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) The Malaysian High Court has scheduled April 17 to hear former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s request for the government to produce an additional order by the former king, purportedly granting him the option to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
According to a report by Free Malaysia Today (FMT) on Thursday, Najib’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, informed Justice Amarjeet Singh that his client intended to secure an additional affidavit to support his application.
However, Mr Shafee refrained from disclosing the identity of this “critical” witness, stating that the individual was currently abroad and would return only after Hari Raya Puasa, which falls on April 10.
Najib had initially filed for a judicial review on April 1, claiming that the former king, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah of Pahang, issued the order for his house arrest during a January 29 meeting of the Pardons Board, held a day before Sultan Abdullah’s reign as Malaysia’s monarch ended.
On February 2, the Pardons Board officially announced the reduction of Najib’s jail sentence for corruption from 12 to six years, along with a decrease in his RM210 million (US$44.5 million) fine to RM50 million. CNA was the first to report on January 31 about Najib’s partial royal pardon, citing sources including senior government officials.
In his April 1 application, Najib alleged that he received confirmation on February 12 regarding the issuance of the addendum order by Sultan Abdullah. This purportedly granted him the option to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest instead of at Kajang Prison, as reported by Malay Mail.
Najib has been incarcerated since August 23, 2022, following the Federal Court’s affirmation of his conviction for criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering related to the misappropriation of SRC International funds, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
