A DAP lawmaker has called for the Pardons Board to state whether lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has broken the law in revealing “confidential” details behind the pardon process of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak during a presser yesterday.
In making the call, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said the Federal Constitution clearly stated the roles played by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and members of the Pardons Board.
“Usually the deliberations by the Pardons Board are kept confidential, but Shafee openly revealed yesterday how the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong carried out the secret ballot on paper.
“I urge the Pardons Board to state clearly in no uncertain terms whether it is allowed under our law for Shafee to announce that the king ‘was thinking of giving’ a full pardon to Najib,” Lim said in a statement today.
During a press conference yesterday, Shafee presented a letter carrying the seal of the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which shed light on a possible impasse between the then-king and the Pardons Board regarding Najib’s sentence.
The letter, he said, revealed that the Pardons Board advised the Agong that Najib serve out his full sentence, but the king decided to cut Najib’s sentence by half and reduced the fine amount from RM210 million to RM50 million.
Shafee also claimed that Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah wanted to grant Najib a full pardon but later held a secret ballot to gauge the reaction of the non-permanent members of the Pardons Board to the idea.
Lim asked whether Shafee was allowed under the law to publicly reveal how the king had conducted a secret ballot during the Jan 29 meeting to discuss the pardon application.
“It appears as if Shafee was at the meeting on Jan 29 when the Pardons Board met to decide on Najib’s fate. Was Shafee invited as an eyewitness at the meeting, or did he make this all up?
“Again, I strongly urge the Pardons Board and the relevant authorities to state clearly whether the statements made by Shafee are true and his actions were not against any law.” - Mkini
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