PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak on Monday won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest.
In an application in April last year, Najib said he had clear information that then-King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah issued an addendum order allowing him to finish his sentence under house arrest. Najib claimed the addendum was issued during a pardons board meeting on Jan. 29 last year chaired by Sultan Abdullah that also cut his 12-year jail sentence by half and sharply reduced a fine. But the High Court threw out his bid three months later.
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FILE - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex escorted by prison officers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)
Supporters of former Prime Minister Najib Razak wait outside the Court of Appeals, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, before Najib won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest later Monday. (AP Photo)
Supporters of former Prime Minister Najib Razak wait outside the Court of Appeals, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, before Najib won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest later Monday. (AP Photo)
Supporters of former Prime Minister Najib Razak waits outside the Court of Appeals in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, before Najib won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest later Monday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
A supporter of former Prime Minister Najib Razak waits outside the Court of Appeals, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, before Najib won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest later Monday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
The Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling on Monday, ordered the High Court to hear the merits of the case. The decision came after Najib's lawyer produced a letter from a Pahang state palace official confirming that Sultan Abdullah had issued the addendum order.
“We are happy that finally Najib has got a win,” his lawyer Mohamad Shafee Abdullah said. “He is very happy and very relieved that finally they recognized some element of injustice that has been placed against him.”
He said it was “criminal” for the government to conceal the addendum order. Shafee said that a new High Court judge will hear the case.
In his application, Najib accused the pardons board, home minister, attorney-general and four others of concealing the sultan’s order “in bad faith.” Sultan Abdullah hails from Najib’s hometown in Pahang. He ended his five-year reign on Jan. 30 last year under Malaysia’s unique rotating monarchy system. A new king toverok office a day later.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said his ministry and the prisons department only received the pardons board's order to commute Najib's sentence. He said he wasn't disputing that an addendum order exists but that he has no knowledge of it.
Najib, 71, served less than two years of his sentence before it was commuted by the pardons board. His sentence is now due to end on Aug. 23, 2028. He was found guilty in a corruption case linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
The pardons board didn’t give any reason for its decision and wasn’t required to explain. But the move has prompted a public outcry over the appearance that Najib was being given special privileges compared to other prisoners.
Najib set up the 1MDB development fund shortly after he took office in 2009. Investigators allege at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates through layers of bank accounts in the United States and other countries, financed Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, art and jewelry. More than $700 million landed in Najib’s bank accounts.
Najib is still fighting graft charges in the main trial linking him directly to the scandal.
FILE - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex escorted by prison officers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)
Supporters of former Prime Minister Najib Razak wait outside the Court of Appeals, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, before Najib won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest later Monday. (AP Photo)
Supporters of former Prime Minister Najib Razak wait outside the Court of Appeals, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, before Najib won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest later Monday. (AP Photo)
Supporters of former Prime Minister Najib Razak waits outside the Court of Appeals in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, before Najib won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest later Monday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
A supporter of former Prime Minister Najib Razak waits outside the Court of Appeals, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, before Najib won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest later Monday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The next round of bitter cold was set to envelop the southern U.S. on Tuesday, after the first significant winter storm of the year blasted a huge swath of the country with ice, snow and wind.
The immense storm system brought disruption even to areas of the country that usually escape winter’s wrath, downing trees in some Southern states, threatening a freeze in Florida and causing people in Dallas to dig deep into their wardrobes for hats and gloves.
By early Tuesday, wind chill temperatures could dip into the teens to low 20s (as low as minus 10.5 C) from Texas across the Gulf Coast, according to the National Weather Service. A low-pressure system is then expected to form as soon as Wednesday near south Texas, bringing the potential of snow to parts of the state that include Dallas, as well as to Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
The polar vortex that dipped south over the weekend kept much of the country east of the Rockies in its frigid grip Monday, making many roads treacherous, forcing school closures, and causing widespread power outages and flight cancellations.
Ice and snow blanketed major roads in Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions brought wind gusts of up to 45 mph (72 kph). The warnings extended to New Jersey into early Tuesday.
A Kentucky truck stop was jammed with big rigs forced off an icy and snow-covered Interstate 75 on Monday just outside Cincinnati. A long haul driver from Los Angeles carrying a load of rugs to Georgia, Michael Taylor said he saw numerous cars and trucks stuck in ditches and was dealing with icy windshield wipers before he pulled off the interstate.
“It was too dangerous. I didn’t want to kill myself or anyone else,” he said.
The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole, but it sometimes plunges south into the U.S., Europe and Asia. Studies show that a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its grip.
The eastern two-thirds of the U.S. dealt with bone-chilling cold and wind chills Monday, with temperatures in some areas far below normal.
A cold weather advisory will take effect early Tuesday across the Gulf Coast. In Texas’ capital of Austin and surrounding cities, wind chills could drop as low as 15 degrees (minus 9.4 C).
The Northeast was expected to get several cold days.
Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was hit.
Virginia State Police responded to at least 430 crashes Sunday and Monday, including one that was fatal. Police said other weather-related fatal accidents occurred Sunday near Charleston, West Virginia, and Monday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Kansas saw two deadly crashes over the weekend.
More than 2,300 flights were canceled and at least 9,100 more were delayed nationwide as of Monday night, according to tracking platform FlightAware. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reported that about 58% of arrivals and 70% of departures had been canceled.
A record 8 inches (more than 20 centimeters) of snow fell Sunday at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, leading to dozens of flight cancellations that lingered into Monday. About 4 inches (about 10 centimeters) fell Monday across the Cincinnati area, where car and truck crashes shut at least two major routes leading into downtown.
In Indiana, snow covered stretches of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, leading authorities to plead with people to stay home.
“It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle said.
The Mid-Atlantic region had been forecast to get another 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of snow on Monday. Dangerously cold temperatures were expected to follow, with nighttime lows falling into the single digits (below minus 12.7 C) through the middle of the week across the Central Plains and into the Mississippi and Ohio valleys.
In North Texas, 2 to 5 inches (about 5 to 13 centimeters) of snow was expected beginning Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Snow could also hit Oklahoma and Arkansas, with some parts potentially getting more than 4 inches (about 10 centimeters).
School closings were widespread, with districts in Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas canceling or delaying the start of classes Monday. Among them was Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools, which canceled classes and other school activities for its nearly 100,000 students.
Classes were also canceled in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Sunday and announced that state government offices would also be closed Monday. Government offices also were closed Monday in Kentucky, where Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency.
Many were in the dark as temperatures plunged. More than 218,000 customers were without power Monday night across Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, according to electric utility tracking website PowerOutage.us.
In Virginia’s capital city, a power outage caused a temporary malfunction in the water system, officials said Monday afternoon. Richmond officials asked those in the city of more than 200,000 people to refrain from drinking tap water or washing dishes without boiling the water first. The city also asked people to conserve their water, such as by taking shorter showers.
City officials said they were working nonstop to bring the system back online.
Whittle reported from Portland, Maine. Associated Press journalists Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Lea Skene in Baltimore; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Julie Walker in New York; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Zeke Miller in Washington, D.C.; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.
Read more of the AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment
Police from nearby Arlington, Va., arrive at the Capitol to help reinforce the security presence ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Workers clear the plaza at the Capitol as snow falls ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Hundreds of passengers wait to clear a security checkpoint as Kansas City International Airport worked to return to normal flight operations following flight delays and cancellations during a winter storm, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Rosie Henson, from left, Charlotte Hall and Jaya Demni play around in the snow near Schifferstadt Museum in Frederick, Md.,on Monday, Jan. 6. 2025. (Ric Dugan/The Frederick News-Post via AP)
A worker clears snow from an apron before guiding a Delta Air Lines jet at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Mich., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A Delta Air Lines jet is deiced before takeoff at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Mich., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
"Aurelia Roma", a 1994 Italian marble sculpture by Manuel Neri, is wrapped for the season as she stands in the pool of the Estate House terrace surrounded by snow at Laumeier Sculpture Park in Sunset Hills, Mo. on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
A man wearing a Venezuelan flag starts a moped as snow begins to fall again, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
St. Ann resident Troupe El checks for traction on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, after getting his vehicle stuck trying to enter St. Charles Rock Road from the Crossings at Northwest in St. Ann, Mo. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
John Lovrich uses his Yamaha Kodiak 450 4x4 all-terrain vehicle to plow snow near his home in the Cambria City section of Johnstown, Pa., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Thomas Slusser/The Tribune-Democrat via AP)
Josh Williams, of Johnstown, shovels snow from the walkway at First United Methodist Church on Vine Street in downtown Johnstown, Pa., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Thomas Slusser/The Tribune-Democrat via AP)
A runner passes on a snowy morning as it falls over Center City, Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Truckers fight the weather as they stop on Interstate 44 in Fenton, Mo. to change wiper blades as sleet falls on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
A person crosses a street as heavy snow falls Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A snowplow clears the area as snow blankets Capitol Hill ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Dave Thomasson uses an electric snowblower to clear his driveway in the Webster Oaks subdivision of Webster Groves, Mo. as residents started clearing a path on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Law enforcement officers stand guard at the Capitol as snow falls ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Carl Rich uses a snowblower to clear his driveway during a winter storm, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
A person clears off a car during a winter snow storm in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A person walks near the Washington Monument during a winter snow storm in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
People ski during a winter snow storm in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A runner makes his way through a snow-covered street in Indianapolis, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
A workman clears steps at the Capitol as snow falls ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Police from nearby Arlington, Va., arrive at the Capitol to help reinforce the security presence ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
A pedestrian makes their way though a tunnel along the snow-covered Monon Trail in Carmel, Ind., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Snow covers vehicles parked at the Helix Garage in downtown Lexington, Ky., on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)
Vehicles drive along Main Street in Lexington, Ky., on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)
A person walks his dog in view of the Capitol during a winter snow storm in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Traffic makes it way on snow-covered U.S. 31 in Carmel, Ind., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Snow covers homes during a winter storm, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
Workers clear the plaza at the Capitol as snow falls ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
National Park Service workers shovel a pathway during a winter storm at the White House, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Heavy snow falls as a person walks along U.S. Route 42 in Florence, Ky., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
People engage in a snowball fight as U.S. flags, along the base of the Washington Monument, fly at half-staff in memorial to former President Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A child catches snowflakes with their tongue during El Museo del Barrio's 47th annual Three Kings Day parade, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Law enforcement officers stand guard at the Capitol as snow falls ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A person holds an umbrella as they walk during a winter storm, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
