KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 — The Pardons Board should inform Malaysians of its reasons for halving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 12-year prison sentence for his conviction related to the 1MDB scandal, former minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.
The former Umno Youth chief said such an explanation would head off speculation over the move.
“If this was done in consideration of his service to the nation, then the board should come forward to explain,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.
“If not, this will give rise to a lot of speculation as to why different sets of rules are being applied to different people.”
Earlier today, the Federal Territories Pardons Board announced that Najib’s prison sentence for the misappropriation of RM42 million from a former 1MDB unit will be reduced by half while his fine will be cut from RM210 million to RM50 million.
The decision meant Najib, who began serving his prison term in August 2022, would be released by 2028.
He is likely to be released even earlier than that as he would be eligible for parole on good behaviour after serving just two thirds of the six years.
In the official statement today on behalf of the Federal Territories Pardons Board, the Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division as the board’s secretariat said this decision was made following the January 29 meeting of the Pardons Board for the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.
It said the Pardons Board meeting, which was chaired by then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, had considered five pardons application including the one from Najib.
Under the Federal Constitution, the Agong chairs the meetings of the Pardons Board for the federal territories, which comprises the attorney general, the Federal Territories minister, and a maximum of three other members appointed by the Agong.
