Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday issued a veiled rebuke to those who celebrated the High Court decision rejecting Najib Abdul Razak's bid to be placed under house arrest.
While he respected the court ruling, Anwar said those who did not have sympathy for the convicted former premier and his family should not make things worse and heighten tensions.
This was a marked departure from his own remarks three years ago, when Najib lost his final appeal in the SRC International case and was sent to jail on Aug 23, 2022.
On the day the Federal Court upheld Najib's conviction, Anwar said he welcomed the ruling and hailed it as a victory for the rakyat, who voted the former prime minister out in 2018.
"This proves the rakyat is in power. The rakyat made a decision in 2018 to ensure that the judiciary was independent, and to cleanse the country from corruption," he said in a video message that is still up on social media today.
Anwar, then the opposition leader, said the people's victory in 2018 allowed for professional prosecution and a brave judiciary to make a ruling based on facts and law, and not political whims.
He added that there was now a sense of "relief" and thanked the judges for their ruling.
His remarks echoed similar sentiments he expressed in 2020 when Najib was first convicted.
Meanwhile, after Najib failed his final appeal, Anwar also appeared dismissive at the time of calls for the former to receive a royal pardon.
Further back in 2019, during the campaign for the Rantau by-election, Anwar even joked about Najib potentially taking up the PKR president's old jail cell in Sungai Buloh Prison.
Fast forward three years, and Anwar - now prime minister with a coalition government which includes Najib's party Umno to juggle and keep intact - struck a different tone after Umno responded in fury to DAP's Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin saying Najib being denied house arrest was "another reason to celebrate" the year-end.
Pardon application
In early 2024, Anwar admitted that he had made sure that Najib's pardon application was heard by the Pardons Board.
Later in January 2025, Anwar said that, as he had personally suffered in prison, he would not treat Najib the same way.
Najib had been convicted of seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering in the RM42 million SRC International case.
He was originally sentenced to 12 years’ jail and a RM210 million fine.
Then, on Jan 29, 2024, the Pardons Board, chaired by Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on his last day as king, decided to halve Najib’s jail sentence.
Later that day, Sultan Abdullah unilaterally issued an additional decree granting the former Umno president house arrest.
The royal addendum was the subject of the High Court case on Monday, in which the judge ruled that the decree was invalid.
This is because it did not comply with Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, which stipulates that the king may only issue clemency in consultation with the Pardons Board.
Najib is appealing the outcome.
A separate judge will be issuing a decision for Najib on the 1MDB corruption trial this Friday. - Mkini
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