KUALA LUMPUR: The government filed a bankruptcy notice against former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for failing to pay income tax amounting to RM1.69 billion as ruled by the High Court in July last year.

According to documents filed in court, the Government through the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) filed the notice in the High Court here on Feb 4 against Najib as a debtor.

Based on the notice, Najib has to pay RM1.69 billion with a five per cent interest rate per annum on the total balance from July 22, 2020 (date of High Court's decision) to Feb 4, 2021, and the total payable amount as of the latter date was RM1,738,804,204.16.

On July 22 last year, the High Court ruled that Najib had to pay the IRB RM1.69 billion in additional tax an penalties for the period 2011 to 2017 after allowing the IRB's application to enter a summary judgement against the former.

A summary judgement is when the court decides a particular case summarily, without calling witnesses to testify in a trial.

Lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, who represented Najib, when contacted said the court had set May 5 for management of the case.

"Datuk Seri Najib received a copy of the notice yesterday," he said.

Najib has filed an appeal against the High Court's decision in the Court of Appeal, which will hear the case on June 16.

Pursuant to Section 103 (2) of the Income Tax Act 1967 (ITA), a person ordered to pay the assessment has to settle the payment to the IRB even if an appeal has been filed.

The Civil High Court today set June 11 to hear Najib's application for a stay on the High Court order.

-- BERNAMA