PUTRAJAYA: All eyes are fixed on the Palace of Justice this morning as the highly anticipated hearing of Datuk Seri Najib Razak's appeal for his house arrest bid unfolds before the Court of Appeal.
This issue has dominated recent headlines, with the former prime minister urging the government to disclose the alleged addendum order by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which permits him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest.
A three-member bench comprising Judges Datuk Azizah Nawawi, Datuk Azhahari Kamal Ramli, and Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril will hear Najib's bid to reinstate his judicial review application as well as application to adduce additional evidence to support his claim.
High Court Judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh in July ruled that four affidavits supporting Najib's claim, including from Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and vice-president Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, were hearsay and inadmissible.
Meanwhile, Najib's corruption trial for the alleged misappropriation of billions from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), typically held at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, is scheduled to commence here at 2pm.
Najib, 70, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The case will be heard in the Federal Court courtroom before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
A gathering dubbed "Solidarity with Datuk Seri Najib Razak" is expected to take place near the building, despite being declared illegal by the police.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Aidi Sham Mohamed said the rally has not received permission from the landowner, thus failing to comply with the conditions under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.
A heavy police presence was observed near the building, with every individual being checked before entering the premises.
Najib is currently serving a six-year prison sentence after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
The High Court had sentenced him to 12 years in prison with a fine of RM210 million, and the verdict was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal and Federal Court.
However, his prison sentence was halved to six years and his fine was reduced to RM50 million following his petition for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022.