Shafee dares govt to deny existence of Najib’s house arrest ‘addendum’

July 4, 2024

Shafee dares govt to deny existence of Najib’s house arrest ‘addendum’

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, has challenged the government to openly deny the existence of the “supplementary decree” purportedly issued by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong allowing him to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest.

Shafee said not a single government official or institution has denied the existence of the document, also referred to as an “addendum”.

“Just think about it, something so crucial that no one from the government can deny. If it truly doesn’t exist, why can’t they just say so?

“They should (just) say that this thing doesn’t exist, don’t waste time,” he told a press conference outside the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex.

Earlier, the High Court dismissed Najib’s application to commence judicial review proceedings against the government to compel the production of the purported addendum.

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Justice Amarjeet Singh held that there was no arguable case to warrant a full hearing of the application.

The judge said affidavits filed by Najib as well as Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and vice-president Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail were purely hearsay.

Shafee then told the court that they would file an appeal against today’s decision.

Shafee told the press conference that Najib intends to appeal the High Court ruling and is also considering bringing a writ action.

He said his firm had written three letters to the attorney-general, the law and institutional reform minister, and the Federal Territories Pardons Board, all of which were copied to the prime minister and his deputies, but received no response.

The lawyer said that under evidence law, the government’s silence may be taken as being for an “adverse reason”.

“That’s how powerful the effect of that law is,” he said.

Shafee said the government would be compelled to confirm the existence of the addendum if it responded.

“So now you see the government playing deaf and mute, hide and seek, with the addendum. One day it will surface, and it will come out in a most ugly fashion.”