Zafrul refuses to reveal factual errors in Zahid's affidavit

Zafrul refuses to reveal factual errors in Zahid's affidavit

Published: Apr 19, 2024 7:16 PM


Umno supreme council member Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz refused to reveal the factual errors in the affidavit submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in support of Najib Abdul Razak’s house arrest.

He said his stance remains the same as his statement issued two days ago.

"As I mentioned in the press release two days ago, I have no further comment,” said the investment, trade and industry minister at the launch of the Multi-Code Electronics Industries (M) Berhad construction site in Serendah, Selangor, today.

He declined to comment further when asked if he would submit an additional affidavit.

On Wednesday, Zafrul said there were factual errors in Zahid's affidavit to support Najib’s attempt to have his remaining jail sentence served under house arrest.

In a statement uploaded to Facebook, he said he would obtain legal advice and write to the High Court to correct the errors.

However, he did not reveal what the errors in the affidavit were.

Earlier that day, Zahid in an affidavit backed Najib’s claim of a supplementary royal order concerning the latter’s house arrest.

Zahid claimed that on Jan 30, Zafrul had informed him of the addendum order dated Jan 29 during a meeting at his house at Country Heights.


Najib’s affidavit

On April 4, Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the media that a “critical witness” was set to file an affidavit to support Najib’s judicial review seeking to serve house arrest for the remainder of his six-year jail sentence over the RM42 million SRC International corruption case.

Najib is seeking leave to commence the judicial review for implementation of an alleged addendum by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong linked to the partial pardon that halved his jail sentence to six years and discounted his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.

According to Najib’s affidavit in support of his judicial review, the former Pekan MP claimed that the king’s main royal order allowing the partial pardon was accompanied by a supplementary royal order containing the house arrest provision.

The former Umno president 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 partial pardon and to “forthwith remove the applicant from Kajang prison facility to his known residences 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.

He claimed in his affidavit to support the judicial review that his rights had been adversely affected and infringed upon by the respondents in ignoring his inquiries over the alleged royal addendum.

The respondents’ disregard of his request constituted a direct intrusion of his basic rights under the Federal Constitution and also amounted to direct contempt of the Agong, he added.

Najib further alleged that the respondents are trying to conceal the existence of the alleged royal addendum.