KUALA LUMPUR – Umno figures past and present are calling on the government to come clean on the existence of a royal addendum order for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.
Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh insinuated the government had hidden intentions, while former Umno supreme council member Isham Jalil accused various government figures of lying.
They were reacting to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s affidavit confirming the existence of the royal addendum order. The affidavit, filed at the high court here on April 9, was in support of Najib’s judicial review application challenging the government and other respondents to confirm and implement the addendum order said to be dated January 29.
Akmal said it was clear from Zahid’s affidavit that two cabinet ministers knew of the addendum order, in reference to Zahid himself and International Trade and Investment Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz who is named in the document.
“Therefore, there should be no issue nor any doubt for them to acknowledge the addendum order. Unless there are other intentions.
“The parties responsible must answer this matter,” Akmal said on Facebook.
Isham, meanwhile, questioned if Zahid and Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail were lying, especially since the latter had previously denied any knowledge about the addendum order.
“Zahid, why are you making this statement now after more than two months? You should have said this two months ago if you really wanted to help Najib.
“And Saifuddin, please confirm if Zahid or Zafrul or you, are lying,” said Isham, who was sacked from Umno by Zahid in December 2023.
If Zahid’s affidavit is true, Isham added, then it would appear that Saifuddin and the government are lying, and hiding the addendum order allowing Najib’s house arrest.
In his affidavit, Zahid said he was told of the addendum order’s existence by Tengku Zafrul during a meeting at Zahid’s residence in Country Heights, Kajang.
A photo of the order, dated January 29 – which is when the Federal Territories Pardons Board met and decided on Najib’s reduced sentence – was shown to Zahid by Tengku Zafrul on the latter’s cell phone.
Zahid said Tengku Zafrul had shown him a copy of the addendum order on his phone “which he personally photographed/scanned from an original copy as shown to the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong”.
“The contents of the order expressly stated that the applicant be allowed to serve the reduced sentence of his imprisonment under condition of ‘home arrest’ instead of the current prison confinement in Kajang,” Zahid said in the affidavit.
However, Tengku Zafrul this evening said he would be filing his own affidavit “to correct certain factual errors” in Zahid’s affidavit. – April 17, 2024