KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 31): Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil acknowledged that the matter regarding the royal pardon of jailed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was discussed during Wednesday’s Cabinet's meeting, but maintained that an official statement will be released "soon" by the Pardons Board.

Speaking at a press conference here, Fahmi reminded members of the media to wait for the official statement by the Pardons Board and not "jump the gun" to avoid causing unwanted reactions.

"So I'm asking media practitioners, inside and outside the country, to wait for the official statement. Unfortunately, I have met with the journalist from Channel News Asia; I am not the source who supposedly relayed that information but I am asking for help from all media friends — let's not jump the gun. Let us wait for an official statement to be made and follow that due process," he said.

"Otherwise, it will cause various reactions and for me, we need to show professionalism in reporting [the news]," Fahmi added.

Fahmi was referring to a report by Singaporean media Channel News Asia on Tuesday, which claimed that Najib's prison sentence has been reduced to six years, instead of 12, and that his RM210 million fine was also reduced to an unspecified amount, citing sources including senior government officials.

When asked when the official statement would be released, he replied, "We hope soon, we’ll have to wait. You and I both have to wait."

Najib is presently serving a 12-year jail sentence in the Kajang Prison, after the Federal Court on Aug 23, 2022 upheld his conviction and jail term and a fine of RM210 million, after being found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds amounting to RM42 million.

SRC is a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Najib is currently still facing separate trials including the 1MDB-Tanore trial, where he is charged with four counts of abuse of power for using his position as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of 1MDB’s board of advisers to receive gratification worth RM2.28 billion. He is also facing another 21 counts of money laundering involving over RM4.3 billion.

Besides that, Najib and former 1MDB president and chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy were acquitted from the audit report tampering case, after the High Court judge ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against both of the accused.

Meanwhile, Fahmi said that the federal government will soon hold meetings with the Johor state government to coordinate on the establishment of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).

He said that the initiative will be led by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry.

"This is to coordinate some policies at the central level, together with the state government, to ensure that efforts to establish this special economic zone can be accelerated," the minister added.

However, when asked, Fahmi clarified that no decision has been made with regards to the exact scope and area of JS-SEZ.

To recap, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli earlier this month signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong to formalise cooperation between both countries on JS-SEZ.

Under the MOU, Malaysia and Singapore will work towards enhancing cross-border flows of goods and people as well as strengthening the business ecosystem within JS-SEZ to support investments.

Read also:
Najib's jail time halved, fine reduced to RM50 mil 
PM: Decision has been made on Najib’s pardon application
Official statement by Pardons Board expected this week — Zaliha
Cabinet informed ‘in passing’ about Najib’s appeal to Pardons Board
Wait for Pardons Board’s official statement on Najib’s pardon appeal — Fahmi
Pardons Board to meet today on Najib, Utusan reports
Shafee asks how could foreign media obtain details of Najib's royal pardon petition