3-5-2024 (SINGAPORE) Malaysia’s High Court has denied Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz permission to submit an affidavit to rectify alleged errors regarding the purported royal order allowing former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve his sentence under house arrest. The court ruled that Tengku Zafrul, who is not a party to Najib’s judicial review application, cannot file the affidavit, as reported by Free Malaysia Today (FMT) on Thursday (May 2).
Senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan, representing the government, was quoted by FMT regarding the court’s decision. Tengku Zafrul’s name appeared in Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s affidavit supporting Najib’s legal action. Ahmad Zahid claimed that Tengku Zafrul had shown him a copy of a royal order approving house arrest for Najib. In response, Tengku Zafrul issued a statement disputing the claims, stating that there were factual errors and that he would seek appropriate legal advice.
While Tengku Zafrul’s application to file an affidavit was rejected, the court stated that he and his legal team could try again if Najib is granted leave to proceed with his legal challenge. The matter was heard in the chamber of civil court judge Amarjeet Singh, according to The Vibes.
Najib is seeking the court’s approval to initiate legal proceedings against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration. He aims to compel the Anwar administration to produce the additional order allegedly issued by Malaysia’s former king, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah of Pahang, which permits him to serve the remaining duration of his reduced six-year prison sentence at home.
The former king had halved Najib’s 12-year jail term for corruption and reduced his fine from RM210 million (US$44.16 million) to RM50 million in one of his final official acts before stepping down on January 30.
On June 5, the court is scheduled to decide whether Najib can proceed with the legal proceedings. If Najib’s request is successful, it would put Prime Minister Anwar in a difficult position, as he would need to explain why his administration chose not to disclose the additional order earlier.
Anwar had previously stated that the decision regarding Najib’s house arrest falls under the jurisdiction of the Pardons Board and the king.
