The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, has called for the conditional pardon granted to Najib Razak to be complied with, after the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) suggested that the former prime minister’s house arrest be deferred pending a review.
In a statement on Saturday, Istana Negara said the conditional pardon order was clear, explicit and unambiguous, and was not related to any other cases involving Najib. “There should be no room for confusion in its interpretation, nor should there be prolonged uncertainty over the implementation of the decision that has been consented to,” the palace said.
It said that as all the conditions stipulated in the order had been fulfilled, any arguments challenging the order would amount to defying the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The King’s prerogative to grant clemency under the Federal Constitution must be respected, in keeping with the principles of constitutional monarchy and the rule of law, it added.
The palace said the Federal Territories Pardons Board meeting that considered Najib’s petition on Sept 18 under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution was attended by the federal territories minister and the attorney-general, who gave the King the appropriate advice. His Majesty then agreed for Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, on condition that he paid a RM50 million fine.
On Friday, the AGC said the house arrest should be deferred until a review of the conditional pardon and of the Order of Discharge on Payment of Fine issued by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, citing complex legal questions. It said Najib’s jail term remains in force until Aug 23, 2028, and that house arrest would be an alternative way of serving the sentence rather than ending it.
Update: The AGC said later on Saturday that it was not disputing the conditional pardon, and that the legal effect of the High Court’s discharge order should be referred to the court immediately.