Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak will retain his Pekan MP seat until the completion of his pardon process and review at the Federal Court, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun said.
"Taking into account the application for pardon done before this, and the review filed, Najib's status as the Pekan MP remains unchanged for now, and will only be finalised when both the processes are completed," he said in a statement today.
On Tuesday, Azhar confirmed that Najib had filed for a pardon petition on Sept 2, well within the 14 days after his sentencing, as allowed under the Federal Constitution.
On August 23, the Federal Court upheld Najib’s conviction on charges involving abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering linked to RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.
With that, he was sent to the Kajang Prison to serve his 12 years jail sentence. Najib was also slapped with a fine of RM210 million.
Najib was the first prime minister in the country’s history to be jailed.
Following his imprisonment, questions were raised as to the fate of the Pekan parliamentary seat as Article 48 of the Federal Constitution stipulates that a person can be disqualified as an MP if they are convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than a year in jail, and fined more than RM2,000.
If a petition for a pardon is filed within 14 days of conviction and sentence, or after the disposal of any appeal or court proceeding in regards to the conviction and sentence, the disqualification takes effect only upon the petition being disposed of, under Article 48(4)(c). - Mkini
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