KUALA LUMPUR: On Tuesday, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declined to answer questions regarding a supposed royal decree that could potentially allow former Prime Minister Najib Razak, currently in prison, to serve his sentence at home.
Najib, who held office from 2009 until 2018, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August 2022 after the nation’s highest court upheld his conviction in a corruption case tied to the massive scandal involving the 1MDB state fund. Earlier this year, a board responsible for pardons reduced his sentence after a meeting chaired by the former king, Al-Sultan Abdullah, shortly before he completed his term in January.
Petronas, Malaysia’s state oil company, will continue its exploration efforts in the South China Sea, as confirmed by the Prime Minister.
In Malaysia, the monarchy operates uniquely, with the country’s nine sultans rotating the kingship every five years.
Since April, Najib has been trying to get the government to confirm the existence of what he calls an “addendum order.” He claims this was issued by the former king along with the pardons’ board decision, which would permit him to finish his prison term at home. The former king has remained silent on the matter.
During a parliamentary session, Anwar stated that he could not comment on the document due to parliamentary rules surrounding matters under judicial review. He acknowledged that he presented Najib’s request for a pardon to the king, affirming that the ex-premier deserved to be heard. However, he reiterated that he was not present when the pardons board decided to reduce Najib’s sentence.
The king and the prime minister are members of the pardons board, but the prime minister can appoint a federal territories minister to act on his behalf.
“Until this case is resolved in court or the king makes a decision, we cannot discuss this matter further,” Anwar said, noting that he had referred the issue to the current king, Sultan Ibrahim, for more consideration.
Malaysia’s Court of Appeal is scheduled to examine Najib’s request on January 6 of next year, following a previous appeal that was dismissed by a lower tribunal in July. Recently, Najib’s son submitted a statement to the court, claiming he had received a copy of the contested addendum from the royal household, but his lawyers have not revealed the contents of that document.
