Dr Akmal urges government to confirm existence of royal addendum for Najib Razak

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth Chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh wants the government to confirm the existence of the royal addendum for the convicted Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“We want the government to respond. If it exists, why is it not implemented? That is all,” he told a press conference after the Umno general assembly on Saturday (Aug 24).

Muhamad Akmal also did not discount the possibility of requesting an audience with the Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who purportedly issued the royal addendum during his term as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

“We will wait and also respect the current decision. We need to handle this properly to appease all quarters,” he said.

Najib is seeking a mandamus order, under which, if the addendum order exists, all or one of the respondents must execute the royal order and immediately move him from the Kajang Prison to his residence in Kuala Lumpur, where he would serve his remaining sentence under house arrest.

Following Najib’s application, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi affirmed a supporting affidavit on April 9, claiming that the addendum order existed and that he was shown the document by Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz at his (Ahmad Zahid’s) house in Country Heights on Jan 30.

Ahmad Zahid said Tengku Zafrul showed him a copy of the addendum order on his (Tengku Zafrul’s) phone, which he personally photographed or scanned from an original copy as shown to him by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

On May 21, Wan Rosdy affirmed his affidavit, in which he also claimed that Tengku Zafrul told him about the royal addendum order late in the afternoon on Jan 30.

Tengku Zafrul had attempted to seek leave to file his own affidavit, which he claimed would correct “factual inaccuracies” in Ahmad Zahid’s affidavit, but the same High Court dismissed his application on May 2.

Najib has since filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal against a lower court’s dismissal of his leave application to commence judicial review to challenge the existence of an addendum purportedly issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong that would allow him to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest.

In 2022, Najib was handed a 12-year sentence after being found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering in relation to RM42mil that had been siphoned from SRC International, a former 1MBD subsidiary. He was also fined RM210mil.

However, in February 2024, the Pardons Board decided to commute Najib’s jail term from 12 years to six.

According to a statement by the board, Najib will be released on Aug 23, 2028 and the fine has been reduced to RM50mil from RM210mil.

If the fine is not paid, a year will be added to the jail term, and the release date will be Aug 23, 2029.