13-1-2025 (KUALA LUMPUR) Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has firmly rejected allegations that his government withheld crucial documentation pertaining to former Premier Najib Razak’s potential house detention arrangement, amidst an escalating legal dispute over the matter.
The controversy centres on an alleged “addendum order” that Najib claims was issued alongside his partial royal pardon last year by then-King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah. According to Najib, this document would permit him to serve his remaining prison sentence under house arrest.
Speaking to reporters, PM Anwar clarified that the disputed document was directed to the attorney-general’s office rather than to himself or other pardons board members. “The document was subsequently forwarded to the palace during the royal transition. There has been no attempt at concealment whatsoever,” the Prime Minister emphasised.
The matter has grown increasingly complex as Malaysia’s law ministry stated on Friday that it holds no records of any documentation authorising house arrest for the former premier. Both the home and communications ministers have likewise indicated they have no knowledge of such an arrangement.
Najib, who is currently serving time for his involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, had his original 12-year sentence reduced by half through a royal pardon granted by Al-Sultan Abdullah, whose tenure as king concluded in January 2024 under Malaysia’s rotational monarchy system.
The situation took a new turn earlier this week when the Court of Appeal overturned a previous dismissal of Najib’s legal challenge to access the disputed document. The case will now be reheard by a different judge.
Najib was convicted in 2020 on charges of criminal breach of trust and abuse of power related to the misappropriation of funds from 1MDB, a state investment fund. He continues to maintain his innocence and faces additional corruption charges in several other 1MDB-related cases that are still ongoing.
The former premier’s legal team insists that authorities have disregarded the existence of the addendum order, a claim supported by statements from the former king’s palace.
