DATUK Seri Najib Razak has instructed his legal team to initiate contempt proceedings against former Attorney-General Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh.
Senior lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah who is Najib's lead counsel revealed this to the media during a press conference at the Palace of Justice at Putrajaya.
He said the contempt action relates to the alleged addendum order issued by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which allowed Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
“I would be filing the contempt action either on Thursday (Feb 13), or by the end of this week against Terrirudin, under instruction from my client," he said.
Terrirudin stepped down as the attorney general last year, and was immediately elevated as a Federal Court judge.
Shafee said the truth was revealed when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Jan 11 broke silence on the issue by saying that the supplementary decree was handed to the previous AG, namely Terrirudin.
Shafee said Terrirudin was neither candid nor honest because when he appeared before High Court judge Justice Amarjeet, there was complete silence.
He emphasised that the attorney general should have acknowledged the addendum’s existence and debated its legality openly.
He added that the AGC’s silence on the addendum had led to the court dismissing Najib’s application to enforce it in April 2024.
Second royal pardon request
Meanwhile, the senior lawyer said Najib's legal team is considering filing a second royal pardon request for the former prime minister.
Najib is currently serving a reduced six-year prison term and a RM50 million fine after being found guilty of seven charges, including abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering involving SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
The original sentence was a 12-year prison term and a RM210 million fine, before a partial royal pardon was granted in March last year by the previous King.
However, Shafee said that the application would be made without prejudice to his client's right to challenge the addendum issued by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong regarding the house arrest.
"Thus far, no second application for a pardon has been submitted, but I am contemplating it.
"If we do file a second pardon application, it will be without prejudice to Najib's addendum," he added. - February 12, 2025
