King slams attorney general holding ex-PM’s pardon
King Sultan Ibrahim granted former prime minister Najib Razak a conditional pardon in September, allowing him to serve out the rest of his sentence at home provided he pay a $12 million fine.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s king said Saturday that the attorney general risked denying a royal order by delaying ex-prime minister Najib Razak’s release from prison, adding there was no ambiguity to the pardon he was granted.
The 73-year-old Najib was jailed for his role in one of the largest-ever global plunders of a sovereign wealth fund, the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
But King Sultan Ibrahim granted him a conditional pardon in September, allowing him to serve out the rest of his sentence at home provided he pay a $12 million fine.
On Friday, the country’s attorney general blocked the former prime minister’s transfer to house arrest after the fine was paid, saying his office needed more clarification on the pardon.
The king said Saturday there was nothing to clarify, calling the pardon “clear, evident and without any ambiguity.”
“There should be no confusion in interpretation,” King Ibrahim said in a statement, adding it was not tied to any other cases against the former leader.
“Given that all conditions in the conditional pardon order have been fulfilled, any argument questioning the order leads towards denying the order of His Majesty the King.”
Najib’s lawyers thanked the monarch on Saturday, saying there was “no basis” for authorities to keep Razak in prison “a moment longer.”
“They must transfer him immediately to his residence at Jalan Langgak Duta to serve his house arrest, as His Majesty has ordered,” lawyer Farhan Shafee said in a statement.
The attorney general’s office issued its own statement shortly afterwards, denying it was challenging the king’s authority while giving no indication if it intended to immediately release Najib.
“This step is not aimed at delaying or denying the implementation of the Conditional Pardon Order, but to avoid any conflict in the implementation of the orders in force and to ensure no sentence is implemented unlawfully,” it said.
A day earlier, the attorney general’s office said it had sought a “temporary suspension of the execution of the house arrest” pending further investigation into the terms of Najib’s pardon, adding he would remain in prison.
“During this period, his detention status shall be maintained in his existing place of detention, subject to the powers and instructions of the relevant authorities,” it said.