KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who has been jailed 12 years for corruption, is suing the government and the Prisons Department after he was barred from attending Parliament.
He has filed an application for leave to initiate a judicial review of the Prisons Department’s decision to turn down his request to attend the Dewan Rakyat meeting.
His lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee confirmed that the application was filed through Messrs Shafee & Co at 1pm yesterday.
In the notice of application, the Pekan MP named the government, the Home Minister and the Commissioner-General of Prisons as the first, second and third respondents, respectively.
In his supporting affidavit, Najib said the department had rejected his request, citing “security grounds”, on Sept 28.
He then appealed to the Home Minister on Sept 30, along with a request for a quick decision, as the Parliament meeting began on Monday.
However, there has been no response from the Home Minister so far.
Najib, who has been Pekan MP since 1976, said he had been adversely affected by the refusal to let him have access to his officers and aides for the purposes of parliamentary, legislative and constituent work as well as access and attendance in Parliament.
He said he has a constitutional obligation to discharge his duties effectively as MP.
Najib, who was convicted and sentenced in the RM42mil SRC International Sdn Bhd case, said that although his appeal was dismissed at the Federal Court, he remains as Pekan MP.
He said he is entitled to retain his status as Pekan MP until his petition for a royal pardon and review of the Federal Court’s dismissal of his appeal is decided.
The applicant said the Parliament grounds was deemed a security area that commonly hosts kings, prime ministers and other national leaders with the tightest security arrangements and that the Prisons Department would have the necessary facilities to ensure the safety and security of persons under their care.
He is seeking for an order of certiorari to quash the commissioner-general’s refusal as well as a court declaration that he is entitled to have access to his constituency and Parliament.
The matter has been fixed for case management before High Court judge Justice Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid on Oct 12.
