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Israel’s Lapid to Visit Turkey Following Secret Visit by Ushpiz

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AP)
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Israel’s Lapid to Visit Turkey Following Secret Visit by Ushpiz

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AP)

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will visit Turkey in mid-March to participate in a forum and meet with several senior officials, said a source in Tel Aviv on Friday.

The source affirmed that Lapid was officially invited to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which is scheduled to be held between March 11-13.

He will meet there with government representatives and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

According to the source, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to arrive in Ankara a few days later.

Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Alon Ushpiz secretly visited Turkey last month, the source added.

He met with Ibrahim Kalin, chief adviser and spokesperson to the Turkish president.

According to the Ynetnews website, the meeting followed a series of important talks held between Kalin and the Chargé d’Affairs of the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, Irit Lillian.

Lillian stated that Kalin played a major role in the release of the Israeli couple, Mordy and Natalie Oknin, last year.

Since then, the relationship with him has been enhanced through the embassy in Ankara.

Ushpiz's visit to Ankara is the first in six years at the political level by an Israeli official.

The Director-General of Foreign Affairs, Yuval Rotem, visited Turkey in 2016 after the suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed three Israeli tourists.

Ynet said that the Israeli Foreign Ministry refused to comment on this news. However, well-informed sources confirmed that Ushpiz's visit was in preparation for Lapid and Herzog’s upcoming visits.

A Turkish official is expected to visit Israel soon as part of the preparations for the major visit Herzog will make to Ankara, revealed Turkey’s Hurriyet daily newspaper.

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Jailed ex-Malaysian Leader Najib Moves Closer to House Arrest

Jailed former Malaysian leader Najib Razak moved closer to serving the rest of his sentence at home after an appeal court ruled he could use a royal decree supporting his claim. Mohd RASFAN / AFP
Jailed former Malaysian leader Najib Razak moved closer to serving the rest of his sentence at home after an appeal court ruled he could use a royal decree supporting his claim. Mohd RASFAN / AFP
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Jailed ex-Malaysian Leader Najib Moves Closer to House Arrest

Jailed former Malaysian leader Najib Razak moved closer to serving the rest of his sentence at home after an appeal court ruled he could use a royal decree supporting his claim. Mohd RASFAN / AFP
Jailed former Malaysian leader Najib Razak moved closer to serving the rest of his sentence at home after an appeal court ruled he could use a royal decree supporting his claim. Mohd RASFAN / AFP

Jailed former Malaysian leader Najib Razak moved closer on Monday to serving the rest of his sentence at home after an appeal court ruled he could use a royal decree supporting his claim.
Najib, 71, is serving a six-year jail term for corruption related to the plunder of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and faces several other cases linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in the 2018 elections, AFP said.
The purported existence of an order by the former king granting him permission to serve the rest of his current sentence at home has been at the center of his arguments before the Court of Appeal.
A three-member bench ruled 2-1 to grant Najib's appeal to use the decree to argue his case before the High Court.
"Given the fact that there is no challenge (of the existence of the decree), there is no justification that the order has not been complied with," said Mohamad Firuz Jaffril, one of the three Court of Appeal judges.
The High Court ruled last year that affidavits supporting Najib's claim about the document's existence were inadmissible as evidence because they were hearsay, prompting the former premier to challenge the decision.
But new evidence submitted by Najib's lawyers showed that "the issue of hearsay can no longer stand," Firuz said.
"We are therefore minded to allow the appeal," he added.
Monday's ruling means that the case will go back to the High Court, where the decree could be introduced as evidence to bolster Najib's bid to be placed under house arrest.
'Legal victory for Najib'
Najib was tried and originally sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in July 2020 but the sentence was later halved by a pardons board.
Legal expert Goh Cia Yee told AFP that Monday's ruling is "a legal victory for Najib insofar as he is a step closer to the enforcement of house arrest".
He suggested that it could take "only months" for the High Court to hear the case.
Najib, however, is also defending himself against graft charges tied to more than $500 million in alleged bribes and several counts of money laundering.
If convicted, Najib faces hefty fines and sentences of up to 20 years for each count of abuse of power.
Allegations that billions of dollars were pilfered from investment vehicle 1MDB and used to buy everything from a superyacht to artwork played a major role in prompting voters to oust Najib and the long-ruling United Malays National Organization party in the 2018 elections.
The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, where the funds were allegedly laundered.

Police deployed heavily around the court on Monday and erected roadblocks, but hundreds of Najib's supporters rallied outside.
Supporters -- some wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the former premier's portrait -- chanted "Free Najib!" and "Long Live Bossku!", referring to his moniker which means "my boss".