DATUK Seri Najib Razak’s latest bid for a pardon remains unresolved after the Federal Territories Pardons Board deferred the matter to a future meeting, with minister Hannah Yeoh saying she had given her views “honestly and candidly” during last Friday’s proceedings.
Yeoh, who sits on the board as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), said she had considered the written opinion of the Attorney-General before giving her views at the Sept 11 meeting.
“As one of the members of the Pardons Board, and after considering the written opinion of the Attorney-General, I gave my views in my capacity as the minister responsible for the Federal Territories at the official Pardons Board meeting.
“I expressed my views honestly and candidly, based on my conscience and in the interests of the country,” she said in a statement.
The meeting at Istana Negara was chaired by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim.
A statement issued by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department said the King had consented to defer the decision on Najib’s pardon application to a future meeting of the Pardons Board.
Yeoh also stressed that the final authority in matters involving pardons rests with the King under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.
This includes the decision to defer consideration of Najib’s application, she said.
The Federal Territories Pardons Board comprises the King as chairman, the Attorney-General, the minister responsible for the Federal Territories and three other members appointed by the King.
The deferment means no decision has yet been made on Najib’s latest application.
Najib is currently serving a reduced sentence following his conviction in the SRC International case.
He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million after being found guilty of misappropriating RM42 million belonging to SRC International.
In February 2024, the Pardons Board reduced his prison term to six years and cut the fine to RM50 million.
Najib later sought to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, but the High Court rejected his application in December last year.
The latest pardon application had drawn renewed attention ahead of the Sept 11 meeting, although Yeoh had declined to comment on the agenda when she confirmed the board was due to meet.
Following the meeting, the government confirmed only that Najib’s application had been deferred.
The same meeting also saw the King consent to the release of 65 prisoners. Non-Malaysian prisoners among those released are to be deported or repatriated to their countries of origin within six months of their release.
The deferment has since prompted questions over the next step in Najib’s application, although no date has been announced for the board’s next meeting. – September 16, 2026
