Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh has left Istana Negara following a Pardons Board meeting that was expected to consider matters concerning convicted former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
Yeoh and Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar arrived at the palace shortly before 9am today, the New Straits Times reported.
The meeting today comes a week after the board deferred Najib’s pardon application to a future sitting. The board is chaired by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
Najib is currently serving a reduced six-year prison sentence after the Pardons Board in January 2024 halved his original 12-year sentence and reduced his RM210 million fine to RM50 million.
He began serving his sentence in August 2022 after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million belonging to SRC International.
The latest proceedings also come amid Najib’s separate bid to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. He argued that an additional order accompanying the 2024 clemency provided for such an arrangement, but the High Court rejected his application, and he withdrew his appeal against the ruling.
The pardon has come under renewed scrutiny in recent days, amid attention on whether Najib could receive further clemency.
Yeoh, who was involved in the previous Pardons Board proceedings, said earlier this week that she had acted in the national interest when giving her views, but did not disclose what she had told the board or the King.
The possibility of Najib’s application being considered recently triggered a war of words between Pakatan Harapan and Umno, laying bare further fissures within the Madani government.
This followed a statement by Harapan’s presidential council which, without naming anyone, said individuals convicted of corruption or abuse of power, particularly in high-profile cases, should serve the full sentences handed down by the courts. - Mkini
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