KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has filed an application to initiate contempt proceedings against a former attorney-general for allegedly failing to reveal a royal addendum order that would allow the jailed leader to serve his remaining sentence under house arrest.
In a statement on Friday (May 23), Najib’s legal team said it filed the application against Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh, who is now a Federal Court judge, on Wednesday.
Najib’s lawyers claim it is based on evidence that Terrirudin had knowledge of the purported addendum order issued by former king Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who is the Pahang ruler, but had chosen to “mislead the High Court”, reported news outlet New Straits Times.
According to the lawyers, a copy of the order, dated Jan 29, 2024, was delivered to Najib through his son Mohamad Nizar Najib and its authenticity was confirmed in writing almost a year later, on Jan 4 this year, by the Pahang Royal Council.
The document was personally addressed to Terrirudin, who allegedly instructed his officers to dismiss Najib’s claims as “a fishing expedition, speculative and based on hearsay evidence” when the issue was raised.
“As a public officer, the former AG (Attorney-General) owed the court a paramount duty of candour,” said the statement by Najib’s lawyers, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today.
“A deliberate failure to do so undermines public confidence in the administration of justice, and indeed an obstruction of justice itself,” it added.
Contempt of court refers to acts that hinder the functionality of the judiciary.
Legal proceedings can be initiated to sanction such behaviour but prior approval – or leave – from the court is required.
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