SHAH ALAM – Umno Youth Chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has expressed profound disappointment following the High Court’s decision to reject Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bid for house arrest, effectively declaring the purported "royal addendum" invalid.
Akmal voiced his regret that the decree was deemed legally ineffective despite being a subject of intense public debate for months.
He pointed out the contradiction between the court's ruling and a prior statement from the Pahang Palace, which confirmed that the addendum was indeed issued by the Sultan of Pahang during his tenure as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA).
“The Pahang Palace issued a statement confirming that the royal addendum was issued by the Pahang Sultan while serving as the YDPA.
“When forming a government, the YDPA’s royal decree is cited as a primary authority. Yet today, it is said to be invalid,” Akmal wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
The state representative for Merlimau added that he believes the public is capable of forming its own judgment regarding the circumstances surrounding the issue.
Earlier on Monday, Judge Alice Loke Yee Ching ruled that the supplementary decree was never discussed during the 61st Pardons Board meeting.
She denied the 72-year-old former prime minister's application to serve the remainder of his sentence at his residence.
The judge explained that the addendum was not issued in accordance with the procedures outlined under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.
In her 50-minute judgment, she emphasised that for a pardon or an addendum to be valid, it must involve the advice of the Pardons Board, which she stated was never provided in this specific case.