KUALA LUMPUR — Lawyer Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah revealed today that he had issued no fewer than seven letters to various individuals and institutions seeking confirmation of a royal addendum said to permit former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.
Speaking at a press conference, Shafee said none of the recipients have responded or acknowledged receipt of the correspondence, local media reported.
“We sent letters to the former attorney general Terrirudin Salleh, the home minister (Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail), the law minister (Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said), the prisons director-general, and the government. Copies were also sent to the prime minister and his deputy,” he said.
He added that if such an addendum did not exist, it would have been a simple matter to reply and say so.
Najib was granted leave by the Court of Appeal to initiate a judicial review in an attempt to enforce what he claims is a royal decree allowing him to serve his reduced sentence at home. However, proceedings have been stayed pending the outcome of an appeal by the Attorney-General’s Chambers at the Federal Court.
On February 2 last year, the Federal Territories Pardons Board announced that Najib’s 12-year prison sentence in the SRC International case had been halved to six years, with his fine reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million.
On May 21, Najib filed an application to commence contempt of court proceedings against Terrirudin, alleging that the latter, during his tenure as attorney general, failed to disclose the existence of the royal addendum.
Addressing this, Shafee asserted that his client’s legal team had long signalled its intention to pursue contempt action, which has now been formally filed in the High Court.
“The issue is about the former attorney general, who is now a Federal Court judge,” Shafee said. “We have maintained that a contempt action would be initiated — and it has now been filed.”
He contended that during judicial review proceedings in the High Court, Terrirudin had not been transparent with his legal officers, claiming they were not properly instructed despite the existence of the addendum.
“At no point did they deny the addendum existed. They simply remained silent and failed to verify it,” Shafee said.
He further argued that the government’s claim that the defence had only relied on hearsay to prove the addendum’s existence was an attempt to discredit their case.
“The court said it was not certain, and used that to dismiss our claim. Now the argument will focus on whether the addendum exists, and if so, whether it holds legal validity,” he added.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers has maintained that Najib’s contempt action amounts to a breach of the court order related to his judicial review, and that the allegation against Terrirudin of misleading the court was without merit. – May 29, 2025