Najib’s addendum sent back to Istana after change of Agong, says PM

(FMT) : The royal addendum which provides for Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest was sent back to Istana Negara after Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar became the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said today.

He said the addendum, issued on Jan 29, 2024, was first sent to the then attorney-general, Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh.

“The letter was sent to the AG, not to me, not to the Federal Territories Pardons Board members. After the new Agong ascended the throne, the AG then submitted it to Istana Negara,” he said. The AG did so because the king presides over meetings of the pardons board.

“That’s the situation. We didn’t hide it,” he said at the Muhibbah Madani programme here today.

Between two kings

Anwar said he had not wanted to publicly comment on the addendum matter previously, as it involved the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong and his predecessor, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Al-Sultan Abdullah ended his term of office as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 30. The next day, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor took his oath of office at Istana Negara to begin his term as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Two postponements

Anwar said Al-Sultan Abdullah, when presiding over meetings of the pardons board, had twice postponed a decision on Najib’s pardon application until January 2024.

He reiterated that Najib could seek a full pardon or his house arrest from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. “Whether we agree or disagree (with the application), give the person a chance,” he said.

Najib obtained leave on Monday to begin judicial review proceedings to compel the government to place him under house arrest in accordance with the terms of the addendum after the pardons board decided in February last year to commute his sentence in the SRC International case.

Najib’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, had submitted to the Court of Appeal a letter from the comptroller of the Pahang royal household confirming the existence of the addendum from Al-Sultan Abdullah.

Shafee also told the court that the addendum was sent by Istana Negara on Jan 29 last year to the attorney-general then, Terrirudin. On Wednesday, Terrirudin and his successor, Dusuki Mokhtar, declined to comment on the matter when approached by reporters.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister’s Department’s legal affairs division said it did not have any additional document or addendum to the pardons board’s decision in its official files or records. The division also said it did not receive any official order or notification from Istana Negara regarding the matter.

The pardons board’s decision to halve Najib’s 12-year jail sentence and reduce a RM210 million fine to RM50 million was announced on Feb 2 last year.

Source : Freemalaysiatoday