DATUK Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz today failed to get leave from the Kuala Lumpur High Court to intervene in former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bid for house arrest.
The investment, trade, and industry minister had applied to be allowed to file an affidavit to “correct factual errors” in Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s affidavit in support of Najib’s judicial review.
Senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan was reported as saying that the court rejected the bid on grounds that there was no legal provision for someone not a party to a judicial review proceeding to file affidavits.
However, the court told Tengku Zafrul can try again if Najib is given leave to pursue his legal challenge, reports Free Malaysia Today.
The matter was heard in the chamber of civil court judge Amarjeet Singh.
On April 22, Tengku Zafrul wrote to the High Court seeking permission to file the affidavit.
This was after Zahid confirmed the existence of an addendum order from the former king allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence at home.
The Umno president supported Najib’s claim in an affidavit filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 9.
Zahid said Tengku Zafrul showed him the document on his handphone at his house on January 30. Zahid said the order had the seal and signature of His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda the Yang di-Pertuan Agong XVI.
Najib is seeking leave to commence a judicial review for the execution the alleged order of the Agong linked to a partial pardon that halved his jail sentence to six years and discounted his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.
In Najib’s affidavit in support of his judicial review, the former Pekan MP said the king’s royal order for 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 other respondents to confirm this alleged addendum in the partial pardon.
Najib said the Agong issued the addendum on January 29, the same day the pardon was issued.
The High Court has fixed June 5 to rule on whether to allow Najib to proceed with his legal challenge. - The Vibes, – May 2, 2024.
