Leaked & Altered Najib Judgment Draft: Court Confirms & Lodges Police Report
The leak first appeared on Malaysia Today before it went viral.
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The Putrajaya Palace of Justice through a statement however explained that the leaked draft was not a finalized work and had been modified.
The Federal Court yesterday (24 August) rejected the application of former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to set aside the conviction and sentence of 12 years in prison and a fine of RM210 million, which he faced in the case of embezzlement of SRC International funds.
A five-judge panel led by the Chief Justice, Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, unanimously upheld the conviction imposed on the Pekan Member of Parliament and ordered him to serve the prison sentence with immediate effect.
Apart from Tengku Maimum, four other judges who also presided over the session were Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judges Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan, Datuk Mary Lim Thiam Suan and Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.
However, despite the decision, social media is hotly talking about the leak of the written judgment on the website of blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin even though the case at the time was still ongoing.
It was first brought up by Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki on his Facebook page, adding that he would lodge a police report so that it could be investigated.
Asyraf Wajdi expressed surprise, and says will file a police report.
“This document was first uploaded on the Malaysia Today website, and went viral in many WhatsApp groups and social media.
“The question is whether this document is true and original? Is there an evil agenda to disrupt the principle of justice in the country?
“There needs to be an immediate denial from the Court so that negative prejudices do not arise that can tarnish the image of the country’s judicial institutions. UMNO Youth will file a police report this afternoon (yesterday) so that an immediate investigation can be carried out into the leak of this document,” Asyraf wrote again.
Court confirms the leaked draft but says it was not the final version and had been modified.
Last night, the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court confirmed that there had been a leak of the draft judgment.
The Putrajaya Palace of Justice through a statement however explained that the leaked draft was not a finalized work and had been modified.
“This office confirms that the leaked working draft of the judgment is a working draft that has not been finalized.
“The final judgment was only delivered in Open Court at approximately 4pm on the same date.
“It was found that the leaked document had been modified,” wrote the statement.
Also conducting an internal investigation
Describing the act as intentional to affect the integrity of the operation of the court and the administration of justice, the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court informed that it had lodged a police report and had also started an internal investigation.
“This office insists that the Judiciary will not be disturbed by illegal and irresponsible acts that affect the integrity of the country’s judicial system,” said the Office of the Registrar General, Putrajaya Palace of Justice.
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