KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Several Umno division chiefs have reportedly urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to stop delaying the implementation of a royal addendum that would allow Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the rest of his prison sentence under house arrest.

Malaysiakini reported that 160 out of 191 Umno division leaders present at a meeting yesterday endorsed a statement calling for the matter.

“We urge the prime minister to take full responsibility and ensure the addendum order is executed, as consented by the previous Agong.

“There is no reason to delay the matter any longer,” Wangsa Maju Umno chief Datuk Seri Shafei Abdullah was quoted saying.

He alleged that former attorney-general Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh concealed the document for over a year, despite confirmation of its existence by the Pahang palace in a letter dated January 4.

Shafei said this act violated the principles of transparency and accountability, and accused the AG of disrespecting the supremacy of the Constitution.

He also called for the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into Terrirudin’s alleged conduct, but stressed that the execution of the addendum must take precedence.

Last week, Anwar said his government respects the views of all parties regarding the addendum issue, but emphasises that the document is subject to judicial process.

Anwar said that the matter is still under court proceedings.

Earlier this month, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) conceded the existence of an addendum or “supplementary order” issued by a former King permitting Najib to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest.

The confirmation came during a Federal Court hearing on the AGC’s appeal against a lower court decision to grant Najib leave to proceed with his court case seeking house arrest.

In a 2-1 majority decision in January, the Court of Appeal remitted the case on Najib’s claim of the existence of an additional document — purportedly allowing him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest — to the High Court to be heard on its merits.

In April 2024, Najib filed for judicial review at the High Court seeking an order for the federal government and the Pardons Board to confirm the existence of the house arrest addendum.

In his leave application, Najib claimed Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah issued the order during the Pardons Board’s meeting on January 29, 2024, allowing him to serve the rest of his reduced sentence under house arrest.