Tengku Zafrul writes to High Court seeking leave to file affidavit in Najib’s legal bid for house arrest
(NST) – Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz has written to the High Court seeking its permission to file an affidavit to correct “factual errors” in another affidavit, which claimed that the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, had in an addendum order, granted house arrest order to Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The Investment, Trade and Industry Minister sent the letter today via law firm Cecil Abraham & Partners and was addressed to Judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh’s office.
In a letter sighted by the NST, the law firm said it has been instructed by their client (Tengku Zafrul) to seek leave to file an affidavit to specifically address the averments contained in paragraph six of Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s affidavit to support Najib’s judicial review application.
“There are factual inaccuracies which ought to be corrected pursuant to the inherent jurisdiction of this honourable court and/or pursuant to Order 92 Rule 4 of the Rules of Court 2012.
“For the record, we are further instructed by our client to state that our client takes no position as to the merits of the dispute between the parties.
“Our client merely wishes to ensure that the facts are accurately placed before this honourable court in a neutral manner,” the letter said.
On April 17, Zahid who is also Umno president filed an affidavit to support Najib’s judicial review application to compel the government to produce the addendum order.
The Bagan Datuk member of parliament claimed the document was shown to him by Tengku Zafrul at the former’s house near Country Heights on Jan 30.
He said Tengku Zafrul showed him a copy of the addendum order on his phone which he personally photographed or scanned from an original copy as shown to him by the former King, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
On Jan 29, Najib, the former Pekan member of parliament filed an application to compel the government to produce the impugned document which he said was not revealed by the authorities.
He named the Home Minister, Prison Department commissioner general, Attorney-General (AG), Federal Territories Pardons Board, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Legal Affairs Division director-general, and the government as respondents.
Najib said he later instructed his solicitors to confirm the details of the addendum order with the AG by way of a letter dated Feb 14.
The existence of the addendum order and its non-enforcement was escalated to the Home Minister on March 22.
Najib has claimed that his lawyers have requested an original copy or a copy of the order from the Kajang Prison but has not received a response.
He also claimed the subsequent inaction by the Home Minister and Prison Department commissioner general to execute the said order, is irrational, unreasonable, illegal, and arbitrary and offends the Federal Constitution and laws.
Najib is currently serving a 12-year jail term after he was found guilty of abuse of power and criminal breach of trust involving RM42 million from SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary. He was also fined RM210 million.
