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Asnaf , single mothers receive donations from Queen JOHOR BAHRU: Her Majesty the Queen of Malaysia Raja Zarith Sofiah has provided donations to 300 recipients comprising asnaf and single mothers. The contributions were presented by Her Highness Che’ Puan Mahkota Khaleeda Johor and Her Highness Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Ibrahim during an iftar event at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre on Sunday. Also present was the Johor State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid. At the event, Che’ Puan Mahkota Khaleeda and Tunku Aminah also took time to engage and interact with the attendees. Organised by the Johor State Secretary’s Office, the event was also attended by staff from various state government departments and agencies. – Bernama New naval HQ to be submarine transit site KUCHING: The Royal Malaysian Navy base to be built in Muara Tebas, as the Region 4 naval headquarters, will serve as a strategic transit point for submarines, said Navy Chief Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy Ithnain. He said this is due to the favourable maritime conditions of the site, with naturally deep waters reaching 14m, making it a suitable and strategic location. “As a submarine transit point, there should be no issue. However, to use it as a forward operating base for submarines, I would say there is a possibility. “As for surface vessels, we will assess its suitability for berthing and resupply operations,”he told a media conference after visiting the project site yesterday. Also present were Defence Force Chief Jen Datuk Mohd Nizam Jaffar and Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Hussain. He said the depth and size of the location could also accommodate ships measuring between 100m and 120m in length. The Region 4 naval headquarters was initially planned for construction in Samalaju, Bintulu, but was relocated to Muara Tebas due to various factors, Bernama reported. Commenting on the feasibility study for the base, Zulhelmy said it is being conducted by the SEDC, which owns the project site, and is expected to be completed by early next year. “SEDC is carrying out the study, and the construction process will take about three years once approval is obtained from the Defence Ministry. “We need to align this with the 13th Malaysia Plan budget, as it is a priority project for the Armed Forces. If early approval is granted, we can start construction even sooner.” He added that based on the original project plan, residents of Kampung Goeblit or the surrounding areas would not be relocated.

Najib fails to block govt appeal in ‘house arrest’ case

budget and expenditure, the ministry would propose that national defence spending be set at 1.5% of GDP by 2030. “For the record, the country currently allocates approximately 1.1% of GDP to defence. The proposed increase aligns with the approach of neighbouring nations, which prioritise defence to safeguard national interests amid increasingly complex security challenges, both now and in the future. “The government remains committed to protecting national security and sovereignty, especially in light of evolving and complex threats, and is consistently reviewing the need to boost defence spending.” – Bernama application for leave to appeal was not competent and should be struck out by the court. “The notice of motion should be dismissed because the questions of law do not meet the threshold required for leave to appeal under Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964.” On Jan 6, in a 2-1 majority decision, the Court of Appeal remitted the case on Najib’s claim of the existence of an additional document purportedly allowing him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest to the High Court to be heard on its merits. This decision overturned the High Court’s earlier ruling, which had dismissed his application for leave to commence a judicial review regarding the alleged additional document. The 71-year-old is seeking a mandamus order compelling the respondents to confirm and disclose the existence of the alleged additional document dated Jan 29, 2024. He named the home minister, commissioner-general of prisons, attorney general, Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (law and institutional reform), director-general of the legal affairs division in the Prime Minister’s Department and the government as respondents, Bernama reported. The former Pekan MP also sought an order that, should the additional document be proven to exist, all respondents or any one of them should enforce it immediately and transfer him from Kajang Prison to his residence in Kuala Lumpur to serve the remainder of his sentence. On July 3 last year, Justice Datuk Amarjeet Singh dismissed Najib’s application for leave to initiate a judicial review, ruling that the four affidavits submitted in support of his claim, which included statements by Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, were hearsay and inadmissible as evidence in court. Najib has been serving his sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022 following his conviction for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd. The High Court initially sentenced him to 12 years in prison and fined him RM210 million, a decision which was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court. However, his petition for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022 resulted in the Pardons Board halving his prison sentence to six years and reducing his fine to RM50 million.

o Federal Court dismisses preliminary objection against attorney-general’s application to obtain leave to appeal existence of additional document

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has dismissed a preliminary objection (PO) by Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s defence team that the prosecution’s intended appeal in the former prime minister’s “house arrest” case is incompetent. The court dismissed the PO against the attorney-general’s application to obtain leave to appeal the existence of an additional document in the case involving the former prime minister. A three-member bench, chaired by Chief Judge of Malaya Datuk Seri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim, in a unanimous decision yesterday, said the seventh question of law proposed by the attorney general is related to the issue of adducing

fresh evidence. “Therefore, the preliminary objection is dismissed with no order as to costs,” said Hasnah, who sat with Federal Court judges Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof and Datuk Hanipah Farikullah. The panel then proceeded to hear the application for leave to appeal. Earlier, Attorney-General Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said the preliminary objection by Najib’s counsel should not be entertained by the apex court. “We oppose the PO raised by the counsel. Our application for leave to appeal is not an interlocutory matter.” Najib’s counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the attorney-general’s

ON THE BALL ... Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh replying to questions in the Dewan Negara yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Need for dedicated cyber force being mulled: Defence minister KUALA LUMPUR: As part of efforts to accelerate military modernisation and address emerging security challenges, the Defence Ministry is assessing the need for a dedicated cyber force to counter cyber threats and misinformation campaigns. before they compromise military operations and national security,” he said in the Dewan Negara yesterday. unexpected threats such as sudden and unpredictable security challenges, including cyber attacks, hybrid warfare, terrorist incidents, drone warfare, natural disasters and regional conflicts.

He was responding to a question from Senator Amir Md Ghazali, who inquired whether the government is considering increasing the defence budget or expediting military modernisation to address unforeseen threats. Mohamed Khaled said the ministry, through the Defence White Paper, has outlined a clear strategy to transform the Armed Forces into a more integrated, agile and mission-focused force by 2030. He said this includes addressing

“The Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence has also identified key focus areas which require attention to strengthen the national defence sector. These include cyber warfare, unmanned warfare, drone warfare as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare.” Mohamed Khaled added that for the second phase of the Defence White Paper implementation, particularly in terms of

Its minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the proposed force would be equipped with advanced technical expertise in areas such as cyber threat intelligence, incident response, digital forensics and active cyber defence. “This capability will empower the armed forces to not only respond to cyber attacks but also proactively prevent and neutralise threats