Addendum gag order will worsen trust deficit towards govt, warns Puad

Summary

• Umno leader says public reaction has been overwhelmingly negative.

• Puad warns that it will lead to assumptions that the government has secrets to hide.

• He urges the AGC to review its plan to apply for a gag order.

Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi has urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers not to seek a gag order on former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s royal addendum judicial review.

He pointed out that public comments on the matter are overwhelmingly negative.

“It worsens the trust deficit towards the government.

“A gag order prohibiting the public from discussing the issue of the royal addendum leads people to believe the government has many more secrets it wants to hide.

“Numerous speculations and negative assumptions will circulate on social media, further damaging the government’s credibility,” he added in a Facebook post.

Therefore, Puad said it would be appropriate for the AGC to scrap its intention for a gag order to be imposed.

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported the AGC, which is representing the Pardons Board and the government, informing the Kuala Lumpur High Court that it would file an application for a gag order.

Najib’s counsel Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee confirmed that the AGC notified this during case management before judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz.

"They (AGC) would be filing an application for protective order and gag order," he said.

The counsel said he was made to understand that the AGC sought the protective order and gag order not just for court documents but for the entire judicial review proceedings.

The lawyer added that the civil court set March 11 for further case management.

Judicial review

Najib's judicial review seeks the implementation of a royal addendum allowing him to serve the remainder of his six-year jail sentence under house arrest.

Last July, the High Court denied leave for Najib to commence the judicial review on reasons that the supporting affidavits by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail were hearsay.

However, the Court of Appeal recently reversed this ruling and granted leave to Najib's civil action. The judge ordered the matter be reverted to the Kuala Lumpur High Court to hear the merits of the judicial review.

Last week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim denied allegations that his government concealed the existence of the addendum.

He said the addendum was sent directly to the attorney-general.

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