Kuala Lumpur: The Federal Court has set March 24 for the hearing of a motion for leave to appeal filed by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) against a previous Court of Appeal ruling related to an additional document in the case of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. This document purportedly suggests that Najib could serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Senior Federal Counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly @ Arwi confirmed that this date was scheduled during an online case management session before Deputy Registrar Wan Fatimah Zaharah Wan Yusoff. Both parties involved in the case have been instructed to submit their written arguments by March 10, with another case management meeting set for March 11.
The AGC initiated the motion for leave to appeal on February 4, following a split decision by the Court of Appeal on January 6, which returned the case to the High Court for further consideration. The appeal centers on Najib’s claim regarding the additional document, which, if proven to exist, could allow him to serve his sentence at home.
Najib, aged 71, is contesting the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision from July 3 of the previous year, which rejected his request to begin a judicial review of the mentioned document dated January 29. He has listed several respondents in his appeal, including the Malaysian Government, the Home Minister, and other high-ranking officials.
The former member of parliament for Pekan is seeking a court order to compel the respondents to enforce the document, should it be validated, and to facilitate his transfer from Kajang Prison to his residence in Kuala Lumpur to serve the rest of his sentence.
Najib is currently serving a six-year prison term after being found guilty of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd. Initially sentenced to 12 years and fined RM210 million by the High Court, his sentence was later reduced to six years and the fine to RM50 million after he sought a royal pardon on September 2, 2022.