Najib Bids To Quash Prisons Dept S Refusal To Let Him Attend Dewan Rakyat

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Jailed former prime minister Najib Razak remained the Pekan MP pending disposal of a clemency plea made to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Najib Razak has filed a bid in the High Court to commence judicial review proceedings against the government for refusing to let him attend Dewan Rakyat sittings.
He wants the court to set aside the prisons department’s decision disallowing him from attending proceedings in the lower house of Parliament.
Najib is also seeking to revoke the prisons department’s decision barring him from accessing his officers for purposes of parliamentary, legislative and constituency work.
Besides the prisons department, Najib’s suit also named the home minister and government as co-respondents.
Earlier this week, the former prime minister’s lawyer Shafee Abdullah said the prisons department had refused to let Najib attend the current Dewan Rakyat session which was from Oct 3 to Nov 29.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun had previously said that Najib remained Pekan MP since a petition seeking royal pardon for his conviction in the SRC International case was pending before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The former prime minister is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence after his conviction in that case was upheld by the Federal Court in August.
Azhar said the enforcement of Najib’s disqualification as an MP would only begin if his petition was denied.
The speaker also said he did not have the authority to decide whether Najib could attend proceedings in the Dewan Rakyat, and that it was solely up to the prisons department to decide on the matter as Najib was in their custody.
Justice Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid is scheduled to hear Najib’s leave application to commence the legal challenge on Oct 12. - FMT

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