THE High Court has fixed Oct 19 to hear Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bid to challenge the Government’s refusal to allow him to attend Dewan Rakyat proceedings.
According to an FMT report, federal counsel M. Kogilambigai said the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) needs time to study written submissions filed by Najib’s lawyers in support of the application.
“We know there was a sense of urgency (previously to hear the application) but it no longer exists because Parliament has been dissolved,” she was reported as saying by the news portal.
The former prime minister’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had suggested that the application be heard on Oct 14, stressing that there are serious legal issues to be determined by the court – including whether Najib can be nominated to stand again for elections.
Najib is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence in Kajang Prison following the Federal Court’s decision on Aug 23 to uphold his corruption conviction involving RM42 mil of SRC International funds.
In response to Shafee’s request, Justice Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid said he will give the AGC one week to review the submissions and ordered that they file their written submissions in reply before next Wednesday (Oct 19).
Last week, Shafee had told reporters that the Prison Department had rejected Najib’s request to attend Dewan Rakyat proceedings which was scheduled to run from Oct 3 to Nov 29, adding that the request was turned down on grounds of “security”.
However, given that the Parliament was dissolved on Monday (Oct 10) no further sittings of the lower house will take place. – Oct 12, 2022
