ALL attention is on the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya today as the highly anticipated hearing of Datuk Seri Najib Razak's appeal for his house arrest bid unfolds before the Court of Appeal.
Hundreds of people have gathered on the sidewalks and roads near the Palace of Justice to show solidarity with the former prime minister.
Some are dressed in red T-shirts emblazoned with “Justice for Bossku” and Najib's name.
The issue has dominated recent headlines, with the former prime minister urging the government to disclose the alleged addendum order by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which permits him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest.
The hearing, originally scheduled for Dec 5, 2024, is before a three-member bench comprising Justices Azizah Nawawi, Azhahari Kamal Ramli and Mohd Firuz Jaffril.
High Court Judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh in July ruled that four affidavits supporting Najib's claim, including from Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and vice-president Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, were hearsay and inadmissible.
Security here has been heightened as early as 6 am, with the first roadblock set up at the exit of Jalan Sentosa, directing traffic away from Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
Najib's corruption trial for the alleged misappropriation of billions from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), typically held at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, is also scheduled to commence here at 2 pm.
Najib, 70, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The case will be heard in the Federal Court courtroom before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Najib is currently serving a six-year prison sentence after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
The High Court had sentenced him to 12 years in prison with a fine of RM210 million, and the verdict was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal and Federal Court.
However, his prison sentence was halved to six years and his fine was reduced to RM50 million following his petition for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022.-January 6, 2025
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