KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Disgraced former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will know if he can keep his Pekan parliamentary seat today.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun said he will make an announcement later today.
“Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s status as an MP ends tomorrow. I will issue a statement today,” he told reporters after attending the Climate Change Symposium 2022 at the Parliament building here this morning.
Najib was sent to Kajang Prison on August 23 after a five-judge panel at the Federal Court upheld his conviction, 12-year jail sentence, and RM210 million fine for stealing RM42 million in public funds from SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.
He was at risk of losing his qualification as an MP if he did not file a formal petition for a free pardon or any other court procedure within 14 days to overturn or commute his jail sentence and fine to below one year and less than RM2,000, based on Article 48 of the Federal Constitution.
A royal pardon falls under Article 42(1) of the Federal Constitution, which gives the Agong or Sultan the powers to grant a pardon or reprieve to a convict.
