Najib’s lawyer to focus on royal addendum case, says fresh pardon filing could jeopardise current appeal

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said his team has not been instructed to file a fresh pardon application.

Instead, the team will focus on pursuing Najib’s case in court regarding the alleged royal addendum before considering any further steps, news portal Malaysiakini reported yesterday.

“At this moment, we have no instructions to file a fresh application.

“Pursuing the addendum as part of the current pardon application would risk jeopardising the case,” he was quoted as telling reporters.

Najib’s legal team was asked about plans to file a new royal pardon request following the recent decree from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

A statement from Istana Negara yesterday said anyone seeking clemency must submit their application to the Pardons Board.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers also stated that Najib must file a new application to the Pardons Board, chaired by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim.

Najib is currently seeking leave from the Court of Appeal to challenge an alleged addendum order from the previous Agong, which would have allowed him to serve his sentence under house arrest.

The Court of Appeal is expected to make a ruling on the case tomorrow.

Shafee said the legal team will exhaust the appeal process before considering other actions, adding: “If the appeal is denied, we will appeal to the Federal Court”.