Malaysia court allows Attorney-General's application to appeal in jailed ex-PM's legal case
By Danial Azhar
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysia's top court on Monday granted the Attorney-General's application to appeal a ruling giving jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak access to a document he says allows him to serve his remaining prison sentence under house arrest.
Najib, imprisoned for his role in the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal, is pursuing a legal bid to compel authorities to confirm the existence of and execute a royal order that he said was issued last year as part of a pardon by the then king, entitling him to serve the remainder of his sentence at home.
In a unanimous decision, a three-member Federal Court bench ruled that the Attorney-General could appeal a lower court's January ruling in favour of Najib's attempt to access the alleged document, with the case to be heard on July 1 and 2.
The former premier had his 12-year sentence halved last year in a pardon by then-King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah. Najib said an "addendum order" to the pardon that granted him home detention was ignored by authorities.
The former king's palace has issued a letter saying the document does exist, but Malaysia's law ministry said it has no record of it, its home minister has denied knowledge and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said "we did not hide anything".
Najib was found guilty in 2020 of criminal breach of trust and abuse of power for illegally receiving funds misappropriated from a unit of state investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad. He is on trial for corruption in several other 1MDB-linked cases and denies wrongdoing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia plans multi-pronged attack on Ukraine following drone strikes, US officials say
Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv Saturday, as US officials warned that Moscow plans a multi-pronged assault on Ukraine. Russia has escalated strikes on Ukrainian urban centers in recent weeks as peace talks between the two sides have stalled; the fresh onslaught on Kharkiv was 'the most powerful attack' since 2022, its mayor said. Despite the bombardment, Washington believes the Kremlin's retaliation for Ukraine's drone strike on Russian bombers last weekend hasn't yet happened in earnest, Reuters reported. 'It will be huge, vicious and unrelenting,' one Western diplomat said, with analysts predicting Russia will target Ukrainian government buildings.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Freedom Flotilla Coalition says aid vessel approaching Gaza-bound ship left
(Reuters) -A vessel that was approaching Freedom Flotilla Coalition's Gaza-bound charity ship the Madleen has left, the coalition said early on Monday, after an alarm was sounded on the ship warning of a possible interception. Hours earlier, the Israeli Defence Minister Israeli Katz said he told the military to stop the boat carrying activists including Sweden's Greta Thunberg and a symbolic quantity of aid, including rice and baby formula, to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade. The coalition posted on its Telegram account a voice memo of Thiago Avila, one of the activists onboard, saying "we have been surrounded by many lights all at once; they were circling our boat but in the end they kept going their own way." Operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the British-flagged Madleen boat is currently off the Egyptian coast, heading slowly towards the Gaza Strip, which is besieged by Israel.
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
US-China trade talks to open in London as new disputes emerge
US-China trade talks in London this week are expected to take up a series of fresh disputes that have buffeted relations, threatening a fragile truce over tariffs. Both sides agreed in Geneva last month to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other in an escalating trade war that had sparked fears of recession. Since then, the US and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, 'rare earths' that are vital to carmakers and other industries, and visas for Chinese students at American universities. Advertisement 3 President Trump spoke at length with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by phone last Thursday in an attempt to put relations back on track. REUTERS President Trump spoke at length with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by phone last Thursday in an attempt to put relations back on track. Trump announced on social media the next day that trade talks would be held on Monday in London. The latest frictions began just a day after the May 12 announcement of the Geneva agreement to 'pause' tariffs for 90 days. Advertisement The US Commerce Department issued guidance saying the use of Ascend AI chips from Huawei, a leading Chinese tech company, could violate US export controls. That's because the chips were likely developed with American technology despite restrictions on its export to China, the guidance said. The Chinese government wasn't pleased. One of its biggest beefs in recent years has been over US moves to limit the access of Chinese companies to technology, and in particular to equipment and processes needed to produce the most advanced semiconductors. 'The Chinese side urges the US side to immediately correct its erroneous practices,' a Commerce Ministry spokesperson said. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wasn't in Geneva but will join the talks in London. Analysts say that suggests at least a willingness on the US side to hear out China's concerns on export controls. Advertisement 3 US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will take part in the talks in London. One area where China holds the upper hand is in the mining and processing of rare earths. They are crucial for not only autos but also a range of other products from robots to military equipment. The Chinese government started requiring producers to obtain a license to export seven rare earth elements in April. Resulting shortages sent automakers worldwide into a tizzy. As stockpiles ran down, some worried they would have to halt production. Trump, without mentioning rare earths specifically, took to social media to attack China. Advertisement 'The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,' Trump posted on May 30. 3 China dominates the mining and processing of rare earth minerals. REUTERS The Chinese government indicated Saturday that it is addressing the concerns, which have come from European companies as well. A Commerce Ministry statement said it had granted some approvals and 'will continue to strengthen the approval of applications that comply with regulations.' The scramble to resolve the rare earth issue shows that China has a strong card to play if it wants to strike back against tariffs or other measures. Student visas don't normally figure in trade talks, but a US announcement that it would begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students has emerged as another thorn in the relationship. China's Commerce Ministry raised the issue when asked last week about the accusation that it had violated the consensus reached in Geneva. It replied that the US had undermined the agreement by issuing export control guidelines for AI chips, stopping the sale of chip design software to China and saying it would revoke Chinese student visas.
