Pardons Board minutes regarding Najib won't be made public, says Zaliha

THE minutes of the meeting of the Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB) with regard to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will not be made public, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

"It is a confidential matter and is under the FTPB's prerogative," she said.

Dr Zaliha is a member of the FTPB, which is presided over by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s senior political secretary, Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Akin, urged the government to publicise the minutes of the FTPB meeting on Jan 29 last year, where it decided to halve Najib’s jail sentence.

Shamsul said this would end speculation over the full extent of the pardon granted to the former prime minister and clarify the circumstances under which the house arrest addendum was issued by the 16th Agong.

The FTPB convened to discuss Najib's royal pardon application submitted in September 2022.

His sentence was reduced to six years, and the fine was lowered to RM50 million after he filed a petition for a royal pardon.

In July 2020, the High Court sentenced Najib to 12 years in prison with a fine of RM210 million in the SRC International case.

On Monday, the Putrajaya Court of Appeal granted leave to Najib for a judicial review over the existence of an addendum order.

The order was purportedly issued by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest. - January 9, 2025