Malaysia ex-PM applies to serve six-year sentence under house arrest News
Redo_72 / Pixabay
Malaysia ex-PM applies to serve six-year sentence under house arrest

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak filed a judicial review application to the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Wednesday seeking an addendum order from former King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, according to reports from local media. The order would allow Najib to serve his six-year sentence under house arrest.

Najib claimed in his application that former king issued the addendum order on January 29, a day before his last day in office. Najib alleged that the government was in contempt for failing to execute the order. He also said that his lawyer wrote to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to confirm the issuance of the order. However, both officials have not responded to his lawyer.

Najib was granted a royal pardon on January 31 by then-King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. The royal pardon halved his 12-year sentence for corruption, embezzlement and money laundering and reduced his imposed fine to 50 million ringgit ($10.6 million) from 210 million ringgit. Najib originally received on July 28, 2020 a sentence of 12 years in prison and an RM210 million fine for power abuse, 10 years in prison for three Criminal Breach of Trust charges under Section 408 of the Malaysian Penal Code and three money-laundering charges. All sentences were to be served concurrently.

Each Malaysian state has its own pardons board appointed by their respective sultans or governors, except the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, where members are appointed by the king. The Federal Territories Pardons Board is headed by the king, who appoints an attorney-general, federal territories minister and a maximum of three other members. Pursuant to Article 42(1) of Malaysia’s Federal Constitution, the king of Malaysia has the power to grant royal pardons for offenses committed within the federal territories. Royal pardons have been a tradition in Malaysia. On May 16, 2018, former Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim received a royal pardon and was released after serving three years of his five-year sentence.

Najib began serving his initial 12-year prison sentence on August 23, 2022 after his appeals were rejected. He is still facing three other ongoing criminal cases, including 25 counts of abuse of power and money laundering, three separate money laundering charges and six charges for misappropriating public funds.

The court will hear Najib’s application on April 17.

THIS DAY @ LAW

House Judiciary Committee opened impeachment hearings against Richard Nixon

On May 9, 1974, the US House Judiciary Committee chaired by Rep. Peter Rodino (D-NJ) opened hearings into the possible impeachment of President Richard Nixon in connection with the Watergate scandal. The Committee voted to impeach Nixon on three counts on July 30. Chairman Rodino died in 2005 at his home in New Jersey. He was 95.

Australia Parliament opened

On May 9, 1901, the Parliament of Australia convened for the first time in Melbourne. The Australian Parliament also held its first meeting in the new capital of Canberra 26 years later on the same day 1927. Finally, on this day in 1988 Australian opened its new Parliament House in Canberra. Read the Constitution of Australia.