'Baseless', Zaliha says on claims she hid Najib's house arrest addendum

Summary

• Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa denies hiding the addendum granting former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak house arrest.

• Despite being a member of the Pardons Board, she says she has not seen the addendum.

• Zaliha says she is not a spokesperson for either the government or the Pardons Board.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa today denied hiding the royal addendum granting former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak house arrest.

Zaliha, who is a member of the Pardons Board, said such accusations are completely baseless.

"I, like other ministers, did not look at what is called the addendum document, and I did not hide anything.

"I do not want to answer this question. I am not a spokesperson for the government either.

"I am also not a spokesperson for the Pardons Board," she was quoted as saying by Malaysia Gazette at a meeting with the senior citizens at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Training Institute.

Earlier, former Umno minister Khairy Jamaluddin accused Zaliha and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said of hiding the addendum.

Yesterday, Zaliha told the media that the Pardons Board’s meeting minutes regarding Najib would remain confidential.

On Monday (Jan 6), the Court of Appeal allowed Najib to seek a judicial review to enforce a decree by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, ordering the former Umno president to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest.

The Pahang palace has also confirmed the existence of the royal addendum following an affidavit filed by Najib’s son, Mohd Nizar, on Dec 5.

The addendum supplements the main Pardons Board’s decision which reduced Najib’s initial 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine to a six-year custodial term and RM50 million fine.

Najib’s sentence stems from his conviction for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of the scandal-ridden 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.

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