Azalina: Malaysian Bar has right to challenge Najib house arrest decision
BANGI: The Malaysian Bar has the right to challenge the Federal Territories Pardons Board’s decision allowing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
BANGI, Nov 12 — The Malaysian Bar has the legal right to contest the Federal Territories Pardons Board's decision permitting former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to complete his prison term under house arrest, stated Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Bar may challenge the decision if it perceives grounds to doubt its legitimacy, she emphasized. "However, when we discuss matters under Article 42, we must consider the power of mercy, a discretion fully vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the power of pardon," she told reporters. This came after the Attorney-General's Chambers objected to the Malaysian Bar's attempt to challenge the decision, claiming the Bar's application for judicial review left insufficient time for the AGC and Najib's legal team to submit written arguments.
Najib's counsel Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee also informed the court that his client intended to provide written submissions in response to any court decision. The Malaysian Bar's lawyer Zainur Zakaria did not object to the requests for additional time, and the judge set March 17, 2023, to hear the application, granting both parties until December 14 to file their respective written submissions and December 28 to respond.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
