PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said he or the government does not want to be involved in any decision made by the Pardons Board on Najib Razak’s case.
He also said Ahmad Zahid Hamdi’s affidavit in support of Najib’s application claim of there being a supplementary house arrest order to be done in his (Zahid’s) capacity as Umno president, and not representing the government.
“I don’t want to be involved in discussions about the addendum (supplementary order),” Anwar told reporters in Kajang when asked whether the “supplementary order” existed, according to reports.
“This falls under the jurisdiction of the pardon’s board, over which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers have absolute authority.
“All parties should accept this and focus on ensuring security and strengthening stability,” he said after Friday prayers.
Anwar stressed that the government would not intervene in the decisions of the Pardons Board, adding that the King's rulings during its meeting would be considered final and not subject to challenge by the government.
"Zahid (submitted the affidavit) in his capacity as Umno president, with the Attorney General representing the Pardon Board," he said.
"Our stance remains steadfast that decisions involving the Malay rulers will not be challenged.
“I refrain from further comments as this aligns with the government's longstanding principle since independence," he said.
Anwar also declined to comment on whether he had sighted the addendum granting house arrest to Najib.
Zahid, who is deputy prime minister, had affirmed an affidavit to confirm the existence of supplementary royal order to grant Najib a house arrest in lieu of his prison term.
Najib has gone to court to demand the existence of the supplementary order on top of the partial pardon granted to him in January.
In his application, Najib said the addendum in a royal pardon allowed him to serve the remainder of his six-year jail term under house arrest.
He said the addendum was issued by the king on January 29.
On February 2, the Pardons Board halved Najib’s 12-year jail sentence over the RM42 million SRC International corruption case. This will see the former leader walk free on August 23, 2028. The board also reduced Najib’s RM210 million fine to RM50 million.
The board said it made the decision after a meeting on January 29. It did not give a reason for approving Najib’s request for a pardon.
The pardon was granted a day before then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah stepped down.
Hours after Zahid’s affidavit became public, another minister and Umno leader, Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz issued a statement to say that he would be filing an affidavit to “correct certain factual errors” in the Umno president’s. – April 19, 2024.
