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Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Shafee claims 7 letters sent to confirm Najib's addendum
Lawyer Shafee Abdullah said if no such addendum existed, there was no harm in replying his letters to that effect. KUALA LUMPUR : Lawyer Shafee Abdullah today claimed he had sent at least seven letters to individuals and institutions seeking to confirm the existence of the addendum in relation to former prime minister Najib Razak. He said none of the parties responded to his letters or acknowledged their receipt. 'We sent letters to former attorney-general Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh, the home minister (Saifuddin Nasution Ismail), the law and institutional reform minister (Azalina Othman Said), the prisons commissioner-general, and the government, and CC'd the prime minister and his deputy,' he said at a press conference today. He said if no such addendum existed, there was no harm in replying his letters to that effect. Najib obtained leave from the Court of Appeal to begin judicial review proceedings to enforce a royal decree so as to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest. However, proceedings have been suspended pending the disposal of the current attorney-general's appeal to the Federal Court. The Federal Territories Pardons Board announced on Feb 2 last year that Najib's prison sentence in his SRC International case had been halved from 12 years to six, and his fine reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million. On May 21, Najib filed an application to initiate contempt proceedings against Terrirudin. He claimed that Terrirudin, while serving as attorney-general, failed to reveal the former king's royal addendum allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest. However, the Attorney-General's Chambers said Najib's action was a direct breach of a court order regarding his judicial review and claims that Terrirudin tried to 'mislead' the court on the addendum had no basis. Shafee said that when a judicial review is filed, it is compulsory for the summoned party to be honest about their explanation and any document they have in hand. 'They cannot play hide-and-seek,' he said.
![[UPDATED] High Court dismisses Najib's ex-lawyers' suit against Malaysian Bar](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2Fcourt_hammer1_1748515292.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[UPDATED] High Court dismisses Najib's ex-lawyers' suit against Malaysian Bar](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2FNST-Logo%402x.png%3Fid%3Db37a17055cb1ffea01f5&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] High Court dismisses Najib's ex-lawyers' suit against Malaysian Bar
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar's statement criticising Datuk Seri Najib Razak's former legal team over their handling of his final SRC International appeal at the Federal Court did not amount to defamation, the High Court heard. Judge Roz Mawar Rozain made the ruling before dismissing a defamation suit filed by senior lawyer Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim and two others against the Bar and its former president, Karen Cheah Yee Lynn. Zaid, along with Liew Teck Huat and Reuben Mathiavaranam, had represented the former prime minister in his final appeal at the Federal Court in August 2022, replacing Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. The trio filed the suit over Cheah's media statement titled "Abuse of Process Brings Disrepute to Our Justice System", issued on Aug 9 that year, claiming it had tarnished their reputations. In her ruling, Roz Mawar said the plaintiffs failed to establish that the words, in their natural and ordinary meaning, were defamatory in law. She said the reputational impact of the plaintiffs' conduct had already crystallised prior to the publication, due to their public statements and the unfolding events at the Federal Court. "The plaintiffs themselves had, prior to the publication, made multiple public disclosures including press interviews, social media postings, and commentaries admitting their lack of readiness, criticising prior counsel, and seeking adjournments which were ultimately refused by the apex court. "Their reputational position had already been shaped by facts in the public domain. "The impugned statements in the press release did not further lower or injure their standing in the eyes of reasonable members of society," she said. Roz Mawar said the plaintiffs' claim of conspiracy to injure also failed, as there was no evidence of any agreement or concerted effort by the defendants to cause harm. "No evidence was adduced to establish a concerted agreement between the defendants. "If the complaint is based on a publication said to be defamatory, a separate claim of conspiracy cannot stand on its own," she said," she said, adding that the plaintiffs' claim for breach of statutory duty also had no merit. The court said Cheah, who was then the Bar president, had acted within her statutory remit under Section 42(1)(d) of the Legal Profession Act in making public comments on matters of concern to the legal profession. "There is no actionable breach, and no specific compensable loss was proven to have flowed from the alleged breach," she added. Najib, on July 25, 2022, appointed Zaid's law firm to replace Shafee & Co in the final appeal of the SRC International case at the Federal Court, with Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik as lead counsel in place of Shafee. However, the apex court on Aug 23 upheld the conviction and sentence of 12 years' imprisonment and a RM210 million fine imposed on Najib, who was found guilty of embezzling RM42 million in funds belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd. Najib's sentence was later reduced to six years, and the fine lowered to RM50 million, following his petition for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022.
Free Malaysia Today
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Najib did more for Indians than any other PM, says MIC man
P Kamalanathan, a former deputy education minister under Najib Razak, said Najib never refused to allocate extra funds for the development of Tamil schools GEORGE TOWN : Najib Razak has done more for the Malaysian Indian community than any other prime minister before or after him, says a MIC leader. MIC central working committee member P Kamalanathan said Najib had proven by his actions that he had the interests of the Indian community at heart. When Najib was prime minister, from 2009 to 2018, he had allocated nearly RM1 billion to develop the infrastructure of Tamil schools across the country, and never refused to allocate extra funds for the development of Tamil schools, Kamalanathan said. 'No former prime minister, and no prime minister after Najib, has ever done this,' he told FMT when met at a public relations event here. Kamalanathan's comments were in response to a survey which showed that a majority of Malaysian Indians backed Najib's bid for a royal pardon. Najib is currently serving a jail sentence after being convicted of corruption and abuse of power relating to funds of SRC International. Kamalanathan, who served as deputy education minister under Najib from 2013 to 2018, said he hoped Najib would be granted house arrest for the remainder of his sentence. 'He has gone through the punishment,' he said. Explaining the Indian community's support for the former prime minister, Kamalanathan recalled an instance in 2016 when he sought an additional RM10 million budget allocation for Tamil pre-schools. Najib said he was already allocating RM50 million for Tamil schools but Kamalanathan said the additional funds were needed to build 50 Tamil pre-schools. When the 2016 budget was tabled, Najib announced the additional RM10 million allocation. Kamalanathn, a former MP for Hulu Selangor, said Najib had also increased the intake of Indian students in public universities from the existing 1,500 to 2,200. 'He's unlike other prime ministers,' Kamalanathan said.
Free Malaysia Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Majority of Indians back Najib's bid for royal pardon, survey finds
Public opinion on former prime minister Najib Razak's bid for a pardon is divided along ethnic and political lines, according to a survey by Merdeka Center. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Najib Razak's strongest backing for a royal pardon comes from the Indian community, with 62.2% of respondents supporting the former prime minister's bid, according to a survey by think tank Merdeka Center. Commissioned by reform group Projek Sama, the survey was conducted from March 27 to April 17 with 1,210 respondents across all 222 parliamentary constituencies. According to the survey, public opinion on Najib's bid for a pardon is split along ethnic and political lines. While Najib enjoys majority support from Barisan Nasional voters and segments of the Malay and Muslim Bumiputera communities, the overall sentiment is against any move to pardon him. 'A total of 57.8% of respondents opposed his pardon plea, citing betrayal of public trust, ongoing legal cases, and his refusal to admit guilt. 'In contrast, only 32.7% supported a pardon, mostly on the grounds of Najib's contributions to the country,' said Thomas Fann, who heads Projek Sama. Support among Muslim Bumiputeras stood at 50.5%, while 43% of Malays backed the pardon. In contrast, 95% of Chinese respondents and 51% of non-Muslim Bumiputeras opposed the move. Najib, 70, was convicted of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd and has been serving his sentence at Kajang prison since Aug 23, 2022. On Feb 2 last year, the Federal Territories Pardons Board announced that the former prime minister's prison sentence had been halved from 12 years to six, and his fine reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million. Fann said that most urban respondents, or 63.6%, were opposed to pardoning Najib. 'The respondents who reject the idea of pardoning Najib range from high-income groups at 69.5% to 74.7% to private sector and self-employed workers at 63.2% to 64.5%,' he said. The survey also gauged views on fairness in sentencing by presenting two contrasting cases: a lorry driver jailed three years for stealing bananas, and a national leader jailed 12 years and fined RM210 million for embezzlement. Most respondents, or 54.8%, said the theft sentence was too harsh, while 44.3% found the embezzlement sentence appropriate. Another 40.8% said it was too light. Overall, 85.1% of respondents saw no justification for reducing the sentence in the high-profile corruption case. The survey also revealed differences in opinion regardless of political affiliation, with even BN supporters showing limited support for leniency. 'Even among BN supporters, 48.9% found the sentence fair and 32.8% thought it was too light – underlining strong public support for firm punishment in corruption cases, regardless of political affiliation,' Fann said. Merdeka Center researcher Tan Seng Keat said the 1,210-person sample was consistent with international polling standards and reflected general public sentiment, although follow-up focus groups would be needed to explore the findings in depth.
