Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s lawyers have urged that his challenge over an alleged royal addendum permitting him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest be heard directly by the Federal Court, bypassing the High Court. The request, made in Putrajaya, was based on concerns that the case could face lengthy delays if processed through the usual judicial route.
Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, representing Najib, made the oral application shortly after the Federal Court unanimously ruled that the matter should be remitted to the High Court for a full judicial review before a new judge. The apex court had earlier acknowledged that such an addendum was mentioned in previous proceedings, with the Attorney General conceding its existence, although its validity remained unresolved and required determination at the High Court.
Muhammad Shafee argued that even with maximum effort, the case could stretch over two years — a timeframe he claimed his client could not afford. However, a three-member Federal Court panel led by Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim declined the request. She explained that there were unresolved matters requiring thorough examination at the High Court level, adding that delays were only speculative.
Hasnah stressed that subordinate judges have been instructed to complete cases within nine to twelve months and pointed out that all three judges on the panel were nearing retirement, some within three months. She reminded counsel that judges required time to review materials, conduct independent research, and consider the Attorney General’s Chambers’ responses before making decisions. Justice Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof further noted that as the Federal Court is the final appeal avenue, it would be unfair to bypass the High Court.
Despite Muhammad Shafee stating that his client was prepared to take the risk, the panel ruled that the case must proceed at the High Court to ensure proper justice. Case management has been scheduled for August 18 before a newly appointed judge.
Najib’s application for judicial review, filed on April 1, 2024, claims that Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had issued the alleged addendum during a Pardons Board meeting on January 29, 2024. He is also seeking court orders to compel enforcement of the directive.
On February 2, 2024, the Pardons Board reduced Najib’s 12-year prison term for misappropriating RM42 million to six years and cut his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million, with early release dependent on the fine being paid. Under this ruling, he could be freed as early as August 23, 2028.
Kamran (kfiverr21@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.