KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 29): The Pardons Board is scheduled to meet on Monday, chaired by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, with one of the meeting agendas being the jail term faced by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Utusan reported.
The meeting will be the last official meeting for the Agong before his reign ends on Tuesday, according to the report, after which he returns as the sultan of Pahang.
The meeting has been postponed several times previously, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa was quoted by Utusan as saying.
“As of today (Sunday), I was informed that the meeting will take place [on Monday] but not sure if it is postponed again, considering it has been several times where the meeting was postponed.
“What I can confirm is that the Pardons Board meeting will be chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” Zaliha was quoted as saying, when contacted by Utusan on Sunday.
Talk of Najib’s jail time has emerged in recent weeks. On Jan 10, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told reporters that the Cabinet meeting had not touched on matters involving the Pardons Board, including Najib’s case.
This as the Cabinet “cannot supersede the process”, Fahmi was quoted as saying.
Najib is currently facing a 12-year jail term after he was found guilty of one count of abuse of power with regard to Retirement Fund Inc's (KWAP) RM4 billion loan to SRC International Sdn Bhd, and three counts each of criminal breach of trust and abuse of power with regard to RM42 million of SRC funds.
SRC is a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
In August 2022, the Federal Court upheld the conviction.
In Malaysia, each state has its own Pardons Board chaired by the respective sultan or Yang di-Pertua (or the governor).
The Pardons Board consists of five members, namely the attorney general, the chief minister or menteri besar, and three other members appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or the state ruler, Utusan reported.
In the case of the Federal Territories, the board members include the prime minister, as the region falls under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Department.