NAJIB Razak has filed a judicial review leave application to be allowed to serve his jail term under house arrest.

The application was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 1.

In his application, Najib claims that an addendum in a recent royal pardon allowed him to serve the remainder of his six-year jail term under house arrest.

He is seeking a court order to compel the home minister, the attorney-general, the Pardons Board, the federal government, and a few other respondents to confirm this alleged addendum in the royal pardon.

Najib claimed that the addendum was issued by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 29.

On Feb 2, the pardons board halved Najib’s initial 12-year jail sentence over the RM42 million SRC International corruption case, which will see the former leader walk free on August 23, 2028..

The board said that it made the decision after a meeting on January 29. It did not give a reason for approving Najib’s request for a pardon,

It also reduced Najib’s RM210 million fine to just RM50 million.

In 2020, Najib was convicted of involvement in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, and began serving his sentence in August 2022, after exhausting the various avenues of legal appeal. 

In his latest application, Najib is seeking a court order to compel the respondents to not only confirm the alleged royal addendum but also to “forthwith remove the applicant from Kajang prison facility to his known residence(s) in Kuala Lumpur, where the applicant would continue to serve his imprisonment sentence under house arrest”.

Najib also seeks a mandamus order to compel the respondents to provide the original version of the royal addendum, costs, and any other relief deemed fit by the court.

His application is set to come up before the Kuala Lumpur High Court tomorrow.

Meanwhile, New Straits Times, citing a court document, stated that the king had “immediately or simultaneously issued an addendum order on the same day stipulating that Najib be allowed to serve the reduced sentence of his imprisonment under condition of home arrest instead of confinement in Kajang Prison.” – April 3, 2024.