Putrajaya – Fahmi Fadzil (picture) insists that the Royal Appendix order related to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest has not been withheld or concealed by the government.
He said that even as communications minister, he had never seen the above documents.
“Regarding the document involved, to be honest, it was not hidden. As communications minister, I neither received nor saw nor was informed about the document,” he told a post-Cabinet press conference yesterday.
Government spokesman Fahmy said he believed this was because the matter involved the pardon board.
“We are aware that the Court of Appeal has decided to send the case back to the High Court.
“Therefore, we need to seek the opinion and advice of the Attorney General on several issues to ensure that the trial of the case is not compromised,” he said.
The minister said the government would be guided by the court process.
He said as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pointed out in Parliament recently, the government is bound by the principle of trial on this issue.
“We respect and adhere to this principle, and the court proceedings have been conducted accordingly,” Fahmy noted.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal overturned the rejection of Najib's legal bid to obtain the document, which he said should allow him to serve out the remainder of his term in the country.
The case will be sent back to the High Court to be heard by another judge.
Opposition parties have since demanded answers from the government on whether it had deliberately concealed the existence of the Royal Annex Order, whose existence was ultimately confirmed.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the Court of Appeal's ruling on Tuesday showed that some political parties deliberately tried to conceal the addendum order.
He charged that disobeying, concealing or denying royal decrees was an act of great treason against king and country.
Hizb-e-Islam Youth Wing Chairman Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamuddin also called for action against those suspected of concealing the addendum.
Najib's son Datuk Mohd Nazfuddin also questioned why the government hid the royal appendix and did not implement house arrest.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said the home affairs department and the prisons department have not yet received any supplementary orders related to the former prime minister.
