Our job is done, Najib's petition to UN entirely up to him - CJ

PUTRAJAYA: The petition filed by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak before the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), in which he is seeking a release from prison or retrial of his SRC International Sdn Bhd case, does not affect the judiciary.

Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said Najib's action was "entirely up to him" after the Federal Court had delivered its decision on Aug 23 last year.

"Our job is done. We have discharged our responsibilities in terms of deciding on the case. Whatever he wants to do, whatever avenue he wants to explore, that is beyond us," she said at a press conference after speaking at the opening of the Legal Year 2023, here today.

Najib's lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said his client filed the petition to ask for a release or a retrial following an appeal hearing at the Federal Court which he claimed had serious defects and was contrary to the rules of international justice.

Najib is currently serving a 12-year jail term in Kajang Prison after he lost his final appeal in the Federal Court to set aside his conviction, jail sentence and a fine of RM210 million for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International funds.

On another matter, the top judge said there are enough Federal Court judges to form the panel to hear Najib's bid to challenge his SRC International conviction and sentence which was scheduled on Jan 19.

She said the fact that hearing dates had been scheduled for Najib's review in the SRC case meant that the Federal Court already had a panel ready for it.

"No, Datuk Seri Najib's review, we have already fixed dates. When we fixed dates, we have already prepared the panel of judges, so those vacancies will not affect Datuk Seri Najib's review case," she said.

Tengku Maimun was responding to a question on whether the vacancies in the Federal Court would affect the SRC review hearing.

She said that the judiciary had in January last year proposed two names to fill the then upcoming vacancies of Puan Sri Zaleha Yusof and Datuk Seri Mohd Zawawi Mohd Salleh who were due to retire in May and July last year.

"In fact by April we already had names, but there was a slight glitch in terms of the process that was taking place, so that's why we did not see any appointments," she said.

Recently, Muhammad Shafee indicated uncertainty over whether the SRC review hearing could proceed next week, as his client had asked for a new panel of seven Federal Court judges to hear the case.

-- BERNAMA