AG says lack of scrutiny led to errors in Najib’s court documents

Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar has raised concerns over the accuracy and thoroughness in the preparation of court documents concerning Najib Razak's house arrest order. In a recent report, Dusuki pointed out "obvious" defects in the Kuala Lumpur High Court's Order of Discharge relating to the former prime minister's sentence in the SRC International corruption case.

These issues, according to Dusuki, should not have occurred if those involved had taken the necessary precautions. The alleged defects involve the accuracy of terminology and legal provisions used in the document. The document was issued after the RM50 million fine imposed on Najib was paid through a solidarity fund, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.

However, the Attorney-General's Chambers subsequently requested a deferment of the implementation of Najib's house arrest, citing complex legal questions that could impact the execution of the royal pardon and court order. This move drew criticism from Istana Negara, who argued that any challenges to the conditional pardon order amounted to defying the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's decree, asserting that the pardon order was clear and unambiguous.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim indicated that Dusuki had requested a meeting with the king to clarify the legal questions that led to the proposal of the house arrest deferment, though Dusuki declined to comment further.