KUALA LUMPUR – Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam has raised questions over Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s “certain agenda” after the Umno Youth chief’s comments on party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recently revealed affidavit.
“The question is, Akmal is attacking the government, when he knows that it’s not the government that kept the addendum order,” he told Scoop.
“Your (Akmal) actions are to succeed whose agenda? Do you want to see Bossku (Najib) free or watch him in jail?
“It would be understandable if a non-Supreme Council member had written this – as not all aspects of this confidential matter can be explained to the public – but this is Umno’s youth chief.”
In a statement yesterday, Akmal said all Umno’s Supreme Council members and division leaders knew how the addendum order for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve his remaining sentence under house arrest came to light, and why it was defined as “invalid”.
Asked whether Akmal’s comments could jeopardise Umno’s reputation in the long run, Lokman agreed, saying: “Yes, it is jeopardising.”
Akmal made an Instagram post questioning whether the government would adhere to the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s orders on allowing Najib to serve his prison sentence under house arrest.
On April 1, Najib filed a judicial review application, alleging the existence of an addendum order issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong dated January 29, which allegedly allowed Najib to serve his remaining jail term under house arrest.
On April 9, Zahid – who was named as a “critical witness” in Najib’s judicial review against the government – filed an affidavit backing the latter’s request concerning a royal supplementary order allowing his house arrest.
His affidavit claimed that Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had informed him of the addendum order’s existence dated January 29, during a meeting at his house in Country Heights, Kajang.
However, Tengku Zafrul said he would issue his own affidavit to correct several “factual errors” in Zahid’s document. The Attorney-General’s Chambers also said it would raise the matter in court. – April 20, 2024