PUTRAJAYA – Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak plans to take legal action against former Attorney-General Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, now a Federal Court judge, for contempt of court over an alleged failure to disclose a royal addendum that purportedly allows Najib to serve his prison sentence under house arrest.
Najib’s lead counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, confirmed that the legal filing would take place by February 14, stating that the necessary documents were prepared but undergoing final review.
The legal challenge stems from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s confirmation on January 11 that the former attorney-general had received a letter regarding the royal addendum. The document allegedly ordered Najib’s transfer from prison to house arrest, but after a change in the country’s monarch, it was referred to the newly appointed Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, for further decision.
Muhammad Shafee accused Ahmad Terrirudin of lacking transparency during Najib’s judicial review hearing at the High Court, arguing that the government must act with full honesty. He claimed that during proceedings before Justice Amarjeet Singh, officials challenged Najib’s legal team to provide evidence of the addendum’s existence while allegedly remaining silent about the document themselves.
“We feel that it is not candid or honest on the part of the former attorney-general,” Muhammad Shafee said. “The government must be stating things in total candour.”
The legal dispute follows Najib’s ongoing attempts to validate the existence of the alleged addendum. His judicial review application, originally dismissed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 4, 2024, on the basis of hearsay evidence, was later reinstated on appeal. The case has now been referred back to the High Court, with a case management hearing scheduled for March 11.
Najib’s application names multiple government officials and agencies as respondents, including the Home Minister, the Commissioner General of Prisons, and the Attorney-General. He is seeking a mandamus order compelling them to confirm the addendum’s existence and, if verified, to immediately transfer him from Kajang Prison to his Kuala Lumpur residence to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.