Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has declined to comment on a motion to challenge his client former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s pardon which will be raised at the Malaysian Bar annual general assembly (AGM) tomorrow.
Quizzed on this outside the Kuala Lumpur court complex today, the senior lawyer replied that neither he nor his client wished to comment.
The motion, filed by former Malaysian Bar president Zainur Zakaria and sighted by Malaysiakini, stated that the “incoming Bar Council, on behalf and in the name of the Malaysian Bar, challenges the legality of the said decision by the Pardons Board, by urgently instituting judicial review proceedings against the Pardons Board and Najib”.
It also stated that the Pardons Board is viewed as “acting ultra vires of Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, and in contravention of the law, in reducing Najib’s jail sentence to half and his fine to RM50 million”.
Pointing out that the former premier has only served one and a half years of his sentence, the motion stated his application for a pardon “ought not to have been processed and determined in the first place”.
The motion, seconded by another former Bar president, Yeoh Yang Poh, said the former premier has not shown any remorse or contrition for his involvement in the 1MDB affair.
“And, on the contrary, he continues to claim or allege that it is our courts that have not treated him fairly or justly,” it added.
The motion also pointed to how the 1MDB scandal has “gravely harmed” Malaysia’s international image.
“This includes being described by Loretta Lynch, the then US attorney-general, that it was the largest kleptocracy investigated in US history and being the subject of a Netflix documentary ‘Man on the Run’. Indeed, the Court of Appeal in the SRC appeal called it a ‘national embarrassment’,” it added.
Firestorm over decision
In February, the Pardons Board halved Najib’s 12-year jail sentence to six and reduced the original RM210 million fine to RM50 million.
The decision ignited a firestorm of protests and courted criticism from various quarters.
However, Najib and those aligned with him were disappointed that there was no full pardon granted.
Recalling the words of her father upon learning the decision, Nooryana said her father told her that he was “disappointed, very, very disappointed”.
“You know, Yana, the worst feeling is when you are in shock and there is no one around to speak to. You are lost in your thoughts, all alone,” she quoted Najib as stating.
The Pardons Board’s decision means that Najib’s official release date has been brought forward to August 2028.
However, the former premier could be released earlier on “good behaviour” in August 2026 after serving two-thirds of his sentence.
Najib landed in prison after the Federal Court upheld his sentence and conviction in the SRC International case in August 2022.
He is also on trial for other matters related to the 1MDB scandal. - Mkini
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