KUALA LUMPUR, (Reuters) – Former Malay-sian premier Najib Razak, who was convicted of graft over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, could be released by 2028 after his jail sentence was halved, prompting uproar from critics who called on the government to explain the decision.
The pardons board, chaired by Malaysia’s king, said yesterday it made the decision this week after reviewing an application for a royal pardon by Najib, who began serving a 12-year jail term in August 2022. It did not give a reason.
The reduction in Najib’s sentence comes amid accusations that current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is backsliding on promised reforms, after a string of corruption cases linked to Najib and leaders with ties to his party were dropped last year.
Anwar has long campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, but joined hands with Najib’s graft-tainted party, the United National Malays Organisation (UMNO), to form a government in November 2022, after an election that resulted in a hung parliament.
The board’s decision on Monday was among the last acts of former king Al-Sultan Abdullah of Pahang state, who ended his five-year reign under Malaysia’s rotating system of monarchy this week. He was succeeded on Wednesday by Sultan Ibrahim from Johor in southern Malaysia.
Anwar said he respected the king’s decision, adding that the pardons process was “beyond the prime minister or the government”.
Other corruption trials faced by Najib will continue, Anwar said.
“At the same time, Najib has every right to again appeal to the king. The process has to be respected,” he said in an interview with broadcaster Al Jazeera on Friday.
Malaysia’s king plays a ceremonial role and acts largely on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet. But the monarch can grant clemency to convicts under discretionary powers granted by the federal constitution, with advice from a pardons board.
