KUALA LUMPUR – Umno warlords will be gathered at the party headquarters here for an emergency meeting with president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over the Pardons Board’s decision on former president Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
In a tweet, Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the closed-door meeting will be held at 4pm, tomorrow at Menara Dato’ Onn here.
The meeting is supposed to inform the division chiefs of the leadership’s decision to collect signatures to appeal to the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong for a full pardon to be granted to former prime minister Najib.
This came after the council’s meeting today, which concluded after about three hours.
Following the meeting, council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam said the party would obtain signatures nationwide for Najib to receive a full pardon, or at least, parole or house arrest.
He said the effort would start with a meeting between Zahid and Umno division leaders to explain its “actual position”.
In a statement, the supreme council highlighted that its top party leaders previously agreed that efforts to push for Najib’s defence must be continued.
Yesterday, the Pardons Board secretariat for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya announced that Najib’s jail sentence was halved from 12 years to six years, while his fine was slashed from RM210 million to RM50 million.
Should Najib fail to pay the RM50 million fine, he would have to serve an additional year in prison in default.
The news was met with mixed reactions, including disappointment by Najib’s daughter, Nooryana Najwa, who said her father should have been fully pardoned and immediately released from prison.
Najib began serving his prison sentence on August 23, 2022 after losing his final appeal at the Federal Court. He submitted his application for a royal pardon in September of the same year.
He was convicted by the high court in July 2020 of corruption involving RM42 million of funds belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd. – February 3, 2024