KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be able to find out earlier if he can serve the remainder of his jail term at home instead of at Kajang Prison.
This follows the High Court’s decision today to bring forward its ruling from the initial January 5 next year to December 22 this year, following Najib’s request for an earlier date.
Najib’s court case was brought up for case management earlier today before High Court judge Alice Loke Yee Ching.
Senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan confirmed the new decision date to Malay Mail when contacted today.
Shamsul confirmed that the judge said she had considered and agreed to Najib’s request for an earlier decision date.
Those who attended the case management today were senior federal counsel Nurhafizza Azizan and federal counsel Safiyyah Omar while Najib was represented by Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and Syafiqah Sofian.
Shafee separately confirmed the new decision date when contacted today.
He also confirmed that the Attorney General’s Chambers did not object to Najib’s request for an earlier date.
Yesterday, the High Court fixed January 5, 2026 as the decision date for Najib’s court bid to enforce an addendum or additional order for his house arrest.
Malay Mail understands that Najib had today via his lawyers’ letter requested the court for a case management to be held today to seek for an earlier decision date, based on reasons such as “urgent humanitarian grounds”.
Malay Mail also understands that Najib’s lawyers had in the same letter highlighted that the Federal Court had previously directed for this case to be decided quickly, and that the lawyers had therefore asked the High Court to consider giving an earlier decision date.
Najib’s lawyers were referring to the Federal Court’s direction on August 13, which was when it decided that Najib’s court bid for house arrest could proceed at the High Court.
Najib filed his court challenge in April 2024 as a judicial review, which required approval from the courts before it could be heard.
After going through the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Federal Court for that approval, the case was finally heard on its merits yesterday at the High Court.
Among the key issues that were raised at the High Court yesterday were whether the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s additional order for Najib’s house arrest was valid or not, and if this house arrest order can still be enforced or carried out if it was not made during the Federal Territories Pardons Board’s January 29, 2024 meeting.
A senior official for the Pardons Board’s secretariat previously told the High Court that the Agong had only decided during the January 2024 meeting to reduce Najib’s jail term by 50 per cent to six years’ jail and to reduce his fine to RM50 million, and that the additional order on house arrest was not discussed or decided in this meeting.
