KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak will appeal the High Court's dismissal of his bid for a judicial review of the former King's order allowing him to serve the rest of his jail sentence under house arrest.
Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said he received instructions from the former prime minister to file an appeal against Judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh's ruling to the appellate court as soon as possible.
Earlier, Amarjeet, when dismissing the former prime minister's bid, said all affidavits filed to support Najib's case, including those by Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and vice-president Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, were hearsay.
The deputy prime minister had claimed the document was shown to him by former Selangor Umno treasurer Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz at his house near Country Heights on Jan 30.
Zahid's contention was supported by Wan Rosdy when the Pahang menteri besar in his supporting affidavit also said Tengku Zafrul had told him of the document's existence dated Jan 29.
However, the judge, in his ruling, said Zahid's statements were purely hearsay as his belief and source of information were based solely on what he heard from Tengku Zafrul, with no direct knowledge of the addendum order.
In April, Najib filed a judicial review to establish the existence of the addendum order dated January 29, issued by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which he claims the government has kept silent about.
He named the home minister, Prison Department commissioner general, attorney-general (AG), Federal Territories Pardons Board, minister in the prime minister's department (law and institutional reform), Legal Affairs Division director-general, and the government as respondents.
On Jan 29, the Federal Territories Pardons Board, which the then King presided over, halved Najib's 12-year jail sentence for abuse of power and criminal breach of trust in the SRC International case and reduced his RM210 million fine to RM50 million.