Najib's pardon bid: Lawyer to write to govt seeking update

 

Najib Abdul Razak’s legal team would be writing to the federal government to seek an update on the former prime minister’s application submitted nearly 10 months ago for a royal pardon.

His lead defence counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told host Khairy Jamaluddin during a 'Keluar Sekejap' podcast aired earlier today about the intention of the former finance minister, who is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence at Kajang Prison.

In the interview, former Umno leader Khairy asked Shafee on the update to Najib’s pardon bid, which was linked to his conviction and 12-year jail sentence for the RM42 million SRC International corruption case.

“Coincidentally, tomorrow we will be writing a letter to the (Prime Minister’s) Department of Legal Affairs (involving) pardon.

“If I am not mistaken, the law minister is in charge of this department... (we want) to remind (the government via the letter) that this matter (pardon bid) was nearly (made) 10 months ago and still no answer.

“Politely, we will invite for the matter to be remitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (through the pardon bid to be considered by the Pardons Board),” Shafee (above, right) answered.

Since August last year when the Federal Court upheld his conviction, Najib has been serving his 12-year jail sentence.

Malaysiakini has reached out to Najib’s legal team on whether it has sent out the letter to the government.

Meanwhile, when Khairy and co-host Shahril Hamdan asked about former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar’s claims during a Al-Jazeera interview regarding Najib and the 2006 murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, Shafee reiterated that the former premier’s name never arose during the murder trial that convicted Sirul and former police commando Azilah Hadri.

Shafee claimed that it is curious that insinuation of Najib’s involvement in the murder only arose around 2019 when the former premier - then already facing multiple criminal cases - was helping out with the BN by-election campaign in Semenyih.

“If a superior tells you to murder, you cannot do it. You cannot obey the order as it is a crime,” Shafee said, reiterating a longstanding contention by Najib since 2006 that he was not involved in the murder as he did not even know Altantuya.