KUALA LUMPUR – Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has refuted allegations that he disclosed confidential information from documents pertaining to the Pardons Board’s decision on his client Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Shafee contends that the document is no longer confidential since it was officially served to his client.
“That document was no longer secret because it was served on my client (Najib), who, as far as I’m concerned, is a layman who needed to be served,” he said during a forum titled “Justice and Mercy: A Forum on Reforms to the Pardons Board in Malaysia” here, this evening.
Additionally, Shafee asserted that he did not share any details of the document, emphasising that he did not have permission from Najib to do so.
“I never shared the content (of the document), as I did not get the permission of my client. It is not because it is confidential. In fact, I think it is humble to think that it is confidential. It is a public document, for heaven’s sake.”
Previously, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng had called on the Pardons Board to clarify whether Shafee violated any laws by disclosing what Lim deemed confidential information to the public.
This request followed Shafee’s statement that the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong considered granting a full pardon to Najib but ultimately settled on a shortened prison sentence and fine during the Pardons Board meeting.
It is important to note that various reports had previously outlined the board members’ recommendation for Najib to continue serving his sentence.
On February 2, the Pardons Board secretariat for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya announced the reduction of Najib’s sentence from 12 years to six, along with a decrease in his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.
Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional year of imprisonment for Najib. – February 20, 2024