King’s sole discretion whether to pardon Najib - minister

King’s sole discretion whether to pardon Najib - minister


Amid speculation on the outcome of yesterday's Pardons Board meeting, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said the matter was not discussed in cabinet meetings.

“I really don’t know (the outcome). Pardons are the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s sole prerogative. There is no need to listen to the prime minister’s advice or to discuss it in the cabinet,” he told reporters when asked.

He added that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim did not attend the Pardons Board meeting and it was Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa who was there instead.

Chang (above) also clarified that the notion that one must serve three years of imprisonment before applying for a pardon is just a convention and not explicitly stated in any regulation.

Earlier today, Zaliha’s aide confirmed to Malaysiakini that the board has met to discuss former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s application for a royal pardon but declined to provide details.

Najib has been serving a 12-year prison sentence at Kajang Prison for the RM42 million SRC International corruption case and is still facing trial for several 1MDB-related charges.

Amid the media frenzy, several publications have published reports citing sources claiming that Najib has been pardoned or had his jail sentence reduced, followed by a slew of retractions of such articles.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil advised the media to wait for the Pardons Board to issue its official statement before reporting on their decision.