Royal addendum wasn't hidden - Fahmi

Summary

• Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil denies claims the royal addendum granting Najib Abdul Razak house arrest was hidden.

• He says he had not received any information on the document.

• He attributes this to the involvement of the Pardons Board.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today denied claims that the royal addendum granting former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak house arrest was hidden.

He did not receive any information on the document, he told a press conference at his ministry this afternoon.

“I believe this is because it involves the Pardons Board,” he said.

Previously, a senior federal counsel told the Court of Appeal that the addendum - issued by the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah - was not discussed in the Jan 29, 2024, Pardons Board meeting.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail later said the addendum was also not sent to his ministry or the Prisons Department to be enforced.

On Monday, the Court of Appeal granted Najib’s appeal to commence a judicial review at the High Court to compel the government to enforce the addendum.

A letter from the Pahang palace was also submitted in court on Monday, confirming the addendum exists.

Meanwhile, Fahmi referred to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s refusal to speak on the addendum in the Dewan Rakyat last month.

“As the prime minister said in Parliament during the Prime Minister Question Time (PMQT), we are subject to the principle of sub judice, so we agree and comply with that principle,” Fahmi said.

Anwar had cited parliamentary rules barring sub-judice discussions for ongoing court cases after being pressed on the matter by opposition chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan.

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