Motion filed to debate alleged Royal addendum for Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: An Opposition lawmaker has filed a motion to debate the existence of an alleged Royal addendum that would allow former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve his remaining prison sentence under house arrest.

According to the motion filed by Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Baru), which was seen by The Star, he wants the matter to be deliberated under Standing Orders 18(2) and 18(1) concerning a specific matter of public importance that requires urgent attention.

Takiyuddin also wants to know the government’s position on the matter.

In his supporting argument, Takiyuddin said there was an alleged addendum dated 29 January 2024 addressed to the Attorney-General which has gone viral on social media platforms.

He added that the government has never clearly or unequivocally denied nor confirmed the existence of the decree when questioned.

“Therefore, I seek permission under Standing Order 18(7) for this motion to be allowed, and to debate the existence of the addendum purportedly issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in which Najib is directed to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest and the government’s position regarding the implementation of the addendum,” said Takiyuddin.

On Dec 5, Najib filed an application for leave to adduce additional evidence in his appeal to support his claim of a royal addendum allowing the remainder of his six-year prison sentence to be served under house arrest.

His lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal on Dec 5 that the application was filed two days earlier.

The appeal pertains to his court challenge regarding an addendum purportedly issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which, according to him, would allow him to serve the rest of his prison sentence in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case under house arrest.

On July 3, the High Court rejected Najib’s application for leave to initiate the judicial review. He is appealing this decision at the Court of Appeal.

Najib also requested that, if the additional decree existed, the respondents must enforce it and transfer him immediately from Kajang Prison to his residence in Kuala Lumpur to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

The High Court had sentenced Najib to 12 years in prison with a fine of RM210mil in the SRC International case. However, the sentence was reduced to six years and the fine reduced to RM50mil after he filed a petition for a royal pardon on 2 September 2022.