Former UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has urged the government to honour the conditional pardon arrangement allowing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest after paying the RM50 million fine.
Khairy said the decision made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, through the Pardons Board should be regarded as an agreement or commitment that must be respected and fulfilled.
He stressed that the King’s power to grant pardons was a significant constitutional prerogative, which had been exercised for prisoners over many years and was not something new.
“This is about an agreement, a commitment. The Constitution gives the Yang di-Pertuan Agong the power to grant pardons to any prisoner. This is not a minor power, and it has been exercised for a long time.
“Every year, there are prisoners who receive pardons. Datuk Seri Najib Razak is not the first person to receive one. His was a conditional pardon, with the condition that he pay RM50 million.
“When the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, through the Pardons Board, issued the decision, we should regard it as a promise or commitment. Whether people agree or disagree with what Najib did during the 1MDB scandal, the understanding was that once he paid RM50 million, he could return home to serve the remainder of his sentence,” he said.
Speaking at a public rally at the Seri Siantan Polling District Centre (PDM) on Sunday, Khairy questioned why Najib had not been allowed to leave prison despite having paid the fine and received a receipt.
“But today, we see that even though Najib has paid RM50 million and received the receipt, he still cannot leave. Is this an act of injustice?” he asked.
Khairy also pointed out that Najib’s residence in Taman Duta, Kuala Lumpur, had already been gazetted as a prison, allowing the former UMNO president to serve the remainder of his sentence there.
“His house in Taman Duta, Kuala Lumpur, has already been gazetted as a prison. He could simply be transferred there while the Attorney-General seeks clarification from the court,” he said.
Separately, Khairy suggested that Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar take temporary leave until investigations into the controversy were completed.
He said the proposal should be considered because the investigation involved the Attorney-General’s Chambers, while the Attorney-General himself was at the centre of the controversy.
“That is why I made this statement today. It would be better for the Attorney-General to go on leave until the investigation involving him is completed.
“So it would be appropriate for Dusuki to take leave until this matter is resolved,” he added.
