Loke a no-show at Sarawak event amid speculation over Najib's house arrest

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Transport Minister Anthony Loke did not attend an event where he had been scheduled to present financial aid to taxi and school bus drivers.

It is learnt that Loke had other commitments that forced an eleventh-hour cancellation, with sources saying the decision was conveyed shortly before the event began.

Sarawak Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board chairman Michael Kong stood in for Loke.

Loke's absence coincided with renewed scrutiny over his stance on resigning as transport minister following the house arrest issue involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Yesterday, Loke said his resignation would take effect once Najib arrived at his residence to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.

Loke also said he had submitted a resignation letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Sept 28 and would submit a follow-up letter on the latest developments.

The DAP secretary-general said the decision was in line with the party's stance on Najib's house arrest, although DAP respected the King's prerogative and powers to grant pardons.

Earlier today, Istana Negara warned that any attempt to dispute the conditional royal pardon granted to Najib would amount to defying the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's order.

Yesterday, the Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC) called for Najib's house arrest to be temporarily deferred pending clarification of legal questions surrounding the pardon and a High Court order.

Najib had been expected to be transferred from Kajang Prison to his Jalan Langgak Duta residence to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest after his RM50 million fine was paid.