Anwar says all convicts have right to seek pardon

Anwar says all convicts have right to seek pardon


Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reiterated today that every convicted person has a right to seek their release from prison by filing an application with the Pardons Board.

Asked about his views as the Pakatan Harapan chairperson on former premier Najib Abdul Razak's pardon application, Anwar, who sits on the Pardons Board, said all cases will be heard without prejudice.

"As I’ve said, every single convicted person or prisoner has a right to appeal and we have to take the case into consideration and review it on a compassionate basis, professionally without prejudice.

"This was the position we took. But certainly, we did not consider in the last meeting as per our discussions with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong," Anwar told reporters after the federal-level May Day celebration in Putrajaya.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also confirmed that the Pardons Board meeting did not discuss Najib's application.

Zahid, who also indicated it could be done at a later date, reportedly called for patience in waiting for statements and developments from the Prime Minister's Department Legal Affairs Division which is the secretariat to the board.

Prime Minister's Department Legal Affairs Division director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud has since confirmed the Pardons Board secretariat was unable to bring Najib's application at its last meeting.


Court decisions

On March 31, the five-judge panel of the Federal Court, in a 4-1 majority decision, rejected Najib's application to review his conviction for the RM42 million in the SRC International corruption case.

Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abdul Rahman Sebli chaired the panel of five judges which also included Federal Court judges Rhodzariah Bujang, Nordin Hassan and Vernon Ong Lam Kiat as well as Court of Appeal judge Abu Bakar Jais.

This verdict was in line with a previous decision on Aug 23 last year by a different Federal Court bench chaired by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat to uphold Najib's guilty verdict as well as a 12-year sentence and RM210 million fine.