Cabinet to discuss Najib’s house arrest

On the table soon: Fahmi telling a press conference that the Cabinet could discuss Najib’s home detention after the Prime Minister returns.

PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet could discuss Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s home detention order after the Prime Minister’s return from his trip abroad.

“We did not discuss it today (at the Cabinet meeting) but perhaps when the Prime Minister returns next week,” government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil told a press conference here yesterday.

He was asked about Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s statement that the home detention for the former prime minister should only be contemplated by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, after the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case is concluded.

In an interview with Bloomberg at the 2024 Doha Economic Forum, the Prime Minister said he would only propose such a measure if His Majesty specifically asked for his opinion.

“If the King seeks my advice, I would recommend, ‘Your Highness, let the legal process unfold’,” he said during a special session titled “In Conversation With the Prime Minister of Malaysia”, which was moderated by Bloomberg Television’s South-East Asia chief correspondent Haslinda Amin.

Anwar said all parties must concentrate on the 1MDB proceedings rather than diverting attention to recent discussions surrounding Najib’s potential home detention.

“In the end, it’s the prerogative of His Majesty.

“As Prime Minister, I will uphold the authority of the King,” said Anwar.

On April 1, Najib, 70, filed an application in the Kuala Lumpur High Court seeking leave for judicial review against the Pardons Board, the government and five other parties.

He claimed that, on the clemency order by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, there was an addendum decree that allowed him to serve his remaining six-year term at home.

The then King had ordered Najib’s 12-year jail sentence to be reduced to six years. He also cut his fine from RM210mil to RM50mil.

On April 16, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi submitted an affidavit as a “critical witness”, expressing support for Najib’s application and affirming the existence of the addendum decree.

Ahmad Zahid, in his affidavit sworn on April 9, said he was informed about the existence of the decree by the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.