PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has set Jan 7 to deliver its decision on the appeal by the Malaysian Bar, which is seeking leave to begin a judicial review challenging the reduction of Datuk Seri Najib Razak's prison term and fine in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
Lawyer Zainur Zakaria, representing the Malaysian Bar, confirmed the date when contacted on Tuesday (Sept 22).
On July 31, a three-member bench comprising Justices Datuk Lim Chong Fong, Datuk Azhahari Kamal Ramli and Datuk Leonard David Shim heard the appeal and reserved its decision.
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The Malaysian Bar is appealing the November 2024 High Court dismissal of its application for leave to commence judicial review proceedings to quash the Federal Territories Pardons Board’s decision.
In the application filed in April 2024, the Bar had sought a declaration that the board’s decision on Jan 29, 2024, reducing Najib’s prison sentence from 12 years to six, resulting in his early release on Aug 23, 2028, is illegal, unconstitutional and void.
It is also seeking a declaration that the board's decision to reduce Najib's fine from RM210mil to RM50mil is similarly illegal, unconstitutional and void.
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Former prime minister Najib, 73, has been serving his sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42mil from SRC International.
He filed a petition for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022, which resulted in the board halving his prison sentence and reducing his fine.
On Sept 18 this year, Najib was granted a conditional royal pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, subject to his payment of the RM50mil fine.
On Monday (Sept 21), Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said Najib had yet to pay the fine, a stipulated condition for his house arrest. – Bernama
