Shafee: We are seriously thinking of filing another pardon petition

DATUK Seri Najib Abdul Razak's lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah today said they were "seriously considering" filing a new petition for a full royal pardon.

Speaking at a press conference today, he said they were waiting for the right time to file the petition.

“We are seriously thinking about another petition for a full pardon,” he said.

He also claimed that his client had not received a fair trial and raised questions over the pardon process led by then Yang diPertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Mustafa Billah Shah.

"I don't think the Pardons Board operated the way the constitution expects them to operate," he said.

Last week, the Pardons Board said the former prime minister's prison sentence and fine had been reduced.

This means that Najib will be released on August 23, 2028, which is much earlier than what was set before.

The Pardons Board also decided at its meeting on January 29 to cut the fine imposed on him from RM210 million to RM50 million.

If the fine is not paid, one year will be added to his remaining time in jail, which means that he will then be released on August 23, 2029.

Najib filed his first application for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022, after starting his jail sentence on Aug 23 in Kajang prison.

Shafee also claimed that the wording of the media statement by the Prime Minister's Department on Feb 2 was “clumsy”, and that the document seemed to suggest that "the Pardons Board decided the pardon, not the Agong".

“We will decide when we will put in the application. We will have sufficient grounds, including some new ones,” he said, adding that Najib was disappointed over the outcome of the last pardon as the former Pekan MP had always maintained that he was innocent and should not have spent a day in prison. - The Vibes, February 7, 2024