UMNO Youth Chief Datuk Dr. Muhamad Akmal Saleh expressed disappointment over the court’s decision declaring the royal addendum invalid, after the Kuala Lumpur High Court rejected former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s application to serve the remainder of his prison sentence at home.
He voiced frustration that the addendum was deemed invalid after being kept under wraps for so long, despite the Pahang Palace issuing a statement that the addendum was issued by the Sultan of Pahang during his tenure as Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA).
“Even though the Pahang Palace stated that the addendum was issued by the Sultan of Pahang while serving as YDPA… when it comes to forming a government, the YDPA’s decree was the main reason. But today, the decree is declared invalid,” he wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Muhamad Akmal also noted that the public is capable of forming their own judgment regarding the issue.
Earlier, High Court Judge Alice Loke Yee Ching ruled that the addendum had never been discussed at the 61st meeting of the Pardons Board to allow Najib, 72, to serve his prison sentence at home.
The judge said the addendum did not comply with the procedures under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, as the matter of home detention was not decided at that meeting. She added that the Pardons Board had not been provided with any advice regarding the contested issue during the deliberations.
