KUALA LUMPUR – The Federal Territories Pardons Board must explain its grounds for reducing the prison sentence of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
The ex-Umno Youth chief said although the board’s decisions should be respected because it had gone through proper procedures under the law, it was still important for the public to know the reasons behind the reduced sentence.
“Although the Pardons Board is not required to explain its decision, this is a case of high public interest involving an individual who was the prime minister, and it involves a crime that I think a lot of Malaysians think is extremely serious.
“Simply because the public is entitled to know in what cases are you allowed to have your sentences reduced, or even commuted or pardoned. This goes to the heart of our constitution which is equality before the law,” he said in an immediate reaction to the board’s announcement on Najib.
Choosing not to explain will cause speculation, such as on “why there are different sets of rules for different individuals”, Khairy added.
“It will lead to a lot of speculation, (I) don’t think it’s something the government will necessarily want people to speculate (about).”
Meanwhile, Muda leaders Amira Aisya Abd Aziz and Amir Hariri Abd Hadi also slammed the decision to grant Najib a reduced sentence and fine.
Amira Aisya called it “shameful” as she noted how Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had also been granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for his own set of corruption charges under the same government.
“The government today is like a ship that has run aground,” she said.
The party’s secretary-general Amir Hariri Abd Hadi agreed with Khairy’s view that the Pardons Board should state its reasons for reducing Najib’s sentence.
Najib today had his 12-year prison sentence for corruption in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case cut to six years, and the fine imposed by the court reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million.
He will be released on August 23, 2028, or a year later if he fails to pay the reduced fine, the board announced earlier today. – February 2, 2024