Calls For Terrirudin To Be Benched For Addendum Errors As Ag

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Former attorney-general (AG) Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh should be temporarily benched as a Federal Court judge until the resolution of the royal addendum issue related to Najib Abdul Razak, a forum today heard.
ADSLawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla said this in concurring with Suhakam commissioner and Umno man Hasnal Rezua Merican, who made the suggestion over concerns regarding Terrirudin’s credibility, transparency and integrity.
“So, just my opinion, administratively, the chief justice should bench him from carrying out his duty as a Federal Court judge until the royal addendum issue has been resolved,” Hasnal said during a forum in Kuala Lumpur today.
Hasnal said that Terrirudin’s mistakes over the royal addendum had misled the Kuala Lumpur High Court, resulting in the decision dismissing Najib’s legal action to affirm the addendum’s existence.
It had also led Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to mislead Parliament when he had called the document mere “hearsay”, Hasnal added.
Further, decisions made in the Federal Court go on to become legally binding, he said.
“And he is sitting there in that capacity as someone who can make or translate such decisions into law,” he added.
Supplementary document
Previously, Terrirudin dodged questions when approached by the media over whether a house arrest royal addendum for Najib existed.
He walked away from media personnel who sought confirmation if the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) last year had ever received the document.
The issue revolves around the existence of a supplementary royal decree issued on Jan 29 last year that permitted incarcerated Najib to serve the remainder of his jail sentence as house arrest.
Terrirudin was the AG when the Pardons Board sat and gave Najib a discount on his jail time and fine. Dusuki Mokhtar succeeded him in November last year.
The addendum was attached to the main royal decree for the discounting of the ex-premier’s 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine to six years in jail and RM50 million fine.
Najib has been serving time at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022, in relation to his conviction in an abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering case involving RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of troubled sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
Najib is relying on the existence of the royal addendum to back his civil court bid to compel the Home Ministry and Prison Department to execute the house arrest. - Mkini

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