Malaysia pardons board decided on Najib’s case, Edge reports
By Philip J. Heijmans and Kok Leong Chan
(Bloomberg) — Malaysia’s pardons board headed by the King met on Monday, according to a cabinet minister, after a report said the meeting had decided on an application from imprisoned former prime minister Najib Razak.
Zaliha Mustafa, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department who sits on the Pardons Board, told reporters on Tuesday that the meeting took place at the national palace. She didn’t say if Najib’s pardon bid was discussed.
“Just wait for the official statement from the Pardons Board,” Zaliha said.
The Edge reported on Tuesday that the board had discussed the case in what is King Abdullah Ahmad Shah’s last official meeting before passing the reins to Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar this week as part of the Southeast Asian nation’s rotating monarchy.
The report didn’t say when the decision would be made public.
The board was scheduled to meet Monday and it was reported earlier it may consider Najib’s bid for a pardon from his convictions related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd. scandal. He is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for several charges in the case involving 42 million ringgit (US$8.9 million) of funds belonging to SRC International, a former unit of the troubled state fund.
Najib’s lawyer and the Malaysian government didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Sultan Abdullah’s term as King under Malaysia’s rotational monarchy ends Tuesday.
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