PUTRAJAYA (Sept 22): The Court of Appeal has set Jan 7 to rule on the Malaysian Bar's appeal against a lower court's decision not allowing it to challenge the Federal Territories Pardons Board's decision to reduce former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's prison sentence and fine in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.

Lawyer Zainur Zakaria, representing the Malaysian Bar, confirmed the date when contacted by Bernama on Tuesday.

On July 31, a three-judge bench comprising Datuk Lim Chong Fong, Datuk Azhahari Kamal Ramli and Datuk Leonard David Shim heard the appeal and reserved its decision.

The Malaysian Bar is appealing against the High Court’s decision in November 2024 to dismiss its application for a judicial review to quash the Pardons Board’s decision.

In the application filed in April 2024 against the Pardons Board of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, and Najib, the Bar had sought a declaration that the Pardons Board’s decision on Jan 29, 2024, in reducing Najib’s prison sentence from 12 years to six years, resulting in his early release on Aug 23, 2028, was illegal, unconstitutional and void.

It is also seeking a declaration that the Pardons Board's decision to reduce Najib's fine from RM210 million to RM50 million is similarly illegal, unconstitutional and void.

Najib, 73, has been serving his sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022, after he exhausted the appeal process against his conviction of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

He applied for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022.

Last Friday, the board allowed Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, subject to his payment of the RM50 million fine. 

On Monday, Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said Najib has yet to pay the fine.

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