Critical Witness To Back Najib S Bid For House Arrest

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A “critical witness” is set to file an affidavit to support former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's judicial review seeking to serve house arrest for the remainder of his six-year jail sentence.
The former finance minister's lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah confirmed this when approached by the media after in-chamber case management of the matter at the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning.
However, the lawyer did not reveal who this “critical witness” was.
It is understood that during the chamber matter, Shafee informed judge Amarjeet Singh of the alleged “critical witness”.
Amarjeet has set April 17 for hearing of Najib's application for leave to commence the judicial review for implementation of an alleged supplementary order by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong linked to the partial pardon that halved the former premier's jail sentence to six years and discounted his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.
Lead counsel Muhammad Shafee AbdullahOn April 1, Najib, while still serving jail at the Kajang Prison over the RM42 million SRC International corruption case, filed the judicial review leave application.
House arrest provision
According to Najib's affidavit in support of his judicial review, the former Pekan MP claimed that the Agong's main royal order allowing the partial pardon was accompanied by a supplementary royal order containing the house arrest provision.
The former Umno president is seeking a court order to compel the home minister, the attorney-general, the Pardons Board, the federal government, and a few other respondents to confirm this alleged addendum in the royal pardon.
According to a copy of the judicial review bid, applicant Najib claimed that the addendum was issued by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 29, the same day as the main partial pardon order.
Najib is seeking a court order to compel the respondents to not only confirm the alleged royal addendum but also to “forthwith remove the applicant from Kajang prison facility to his known residence(s) in Kuala Lumpur, where the applicant would continue to serve his imprisonment sentence under house arrest”.
Najib also seeks a mandamus order to compel the respondents to provide the original version of the royal addendum, costs, and any other relief deemed fit by the court.
He claimed in his affidavit to support the judicial review that his rights had been adversely affected and infringed upon by the respondents in ignoring his inquiries over the alleged royal addendum.
He claimed that the respondents’ disregard of his request constituted a direct intrusion of his basic rights under the Federal Constitution and also amounted to direct contempt of the Agong.
Najib further alleged that the respondents are trying to conceal the existence of the alleged royal addendum. - Mkini

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