PUTRAJAYA, April 28 — The Federal Court today unanimously allowed the attorney general (AG) to continue with his appeal against former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak‘s ongoing court bid to be placed under house arrest instead of serving the remainder of his jail term in Kajang Prison.
Chief Judge of Malaya Datuk Seri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim, who chaired a three-judge panel, delivered the decision in the AG’s favour.
This means that the AG will be able to have the Federal Court hear his appeal on why Najib should not be allowed to continue his court case to get house arrest.
The other Federal Court judges on the panel were Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof and Datuk Hanipah Farikullah. AG Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar – who had previously appeared in court on March 24 to present arguments for this case – was present today.
Najib, dressed in a suit and tie, was also present in the courtroom today and under the guard of prison officers.
Najib has been serving his 12-year jail term since August 2022, but in January 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board reduced his sentence to six years’ jail.
Najib has since claimed that the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah issued an additional order through an “addendum” document to allow him to serve the rest of his jail term under house arrest.
In April 2024, Najib filed a judicial review at the High Court seeking an order for the federal government and the Pardons Board to confirm that the house arrest addendum actually exists.
He also wanted the High Court to order the Malaysian government to carry out the addendum by removing him from Kajang Prison and allow him to serve out the remainder of his jail sentence at his Kuala Lumpur house.
With the judicial review application, Najib needed to get the court’s permission for his challenge to be heard, which was denied last July.
But in January this year, he was granted leave in a 2-1 decision at the Court of Appeal; which also sent back his case for another hearing at the High Court.
Following the Federal Court’s decision today, the AG will be able to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s majority decision to grant Najib leave.The AG’s appeal at the Federal Court is important as it will determine whether Najib’s court bid to ultimately be placed under house arrest can continue or not.
MORE TO COME
