This Jailed Former Premier Wants To Attend Parliament & Visit His Constituents Weekly

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Najib is currently serving his 12-year sentence in the Kajang prison for his corruption conviction.

The former prime minister can only leave prison to attend his other ongoing criminal court cases and for medical treatment, under the advice of prison doctors and the discretion of the Prisons Department.

However, he now wants more time outside the prison and more time inside the Dewan Rakyat "because this is the critical moment of parliament", according to his lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

"My client is still an MP, and you know now the circumstances, parliament may not last that long — so you will see that time is a bit hard-pressed for us, we need for him to attend," Shafee said.

Shafee also argued that there is no difference between Najib attending court for his other 1MDB corruption cases and him wanting to attend the august house, where MPs get booted for being uncivil.

"What's the difference? Because he has been attending court almost all the time except for when somehow somebody is sick, he is sick, or whatever, but the trial has been proceeding So if there's, let's say, a 10-day delay because he has to attend parliament, so what? This is a parliamentary duty," he added.

In addition to that, Najib also said that he should be allowed to meet his political aide for matters related to his Pekan constituency and to be escorted from prison "once in a while" to visit his constituents.

"We have told the prison, at least two to three times a week, his political aide from the constituency should be able to visit him to take instructions, what to do in his constituency, so that the people in his constituency can be serviced because otherwise, the people do not have an MP that can function for their benefit," he said, adding, "[Najib] is an MP, treat him as MP. What is the use of being an MP in name only?"

Najib's MP status has not been voided despite his conviction under Article 48 of the Federal Constitution, where an individual can be disqualified as an MP if they are convicted of an offense and sentenced to more than a year in jail and fined more than RM2,000 — because he has filed a petition for a pardon.

The disqualification can take effect only upon the petition is disposed of, whenever that is.

"Pekan's (Najib) attendance is not at all under my jurisdiction. I have no power to allow or disallow him to attend. If he comes, he does not need my permission to enter the [Dewan Rakyat]. He is not in my custody but in prison. As such, it is up to the Prisons Department to grant him that access. Additionally, to my understanding, if the prison releases him, then they are also responsible for setting the conditions for his release," Azhar told members of the parliament during its current seating, reported The Vibes.

"Once more, it's not in my power (to decide)," he added.

When MPs asked Azhar to make a stern ruling as the Speaker, he told them that they can argue all they want and create their own narrative, but he is bound by the rule of the law.

"We can go on fighting until all the cows come home, but the most important thing is how the law is."

The department's decision has not gone down well with Shafee, who called it "unreasonable".

"I find the decision unreasonable and irrational to not allow Najib to attend parliament for security reasons," he said, adding that if Najib is allowed to attend court cases then he should be allowed to go to parliament.