Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh said she had given her “honest and frank” view on former prime minister Najib Razak’s pardon application during the Pardons Board meeting on Sept 11.
Hannah said she expressed her position after reviewing the written opinion of the Attorney-General, in her capacity as a member of the Pardons Board and the minister responsible for the Federal Territories.
“As one of the members of the Pardons Board, and after reviewing the written opinion of the Attorney-General, I had already given my view in my capacity as the minister responsible for the Federal Territories during the official Pardons Board meeting.
“I expressed my view honestly and frankly, based on my conscience and in the interest of the country,” she said in a statement today.
Her statement came after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, decided that Najib’s pardon application should be deferred to the next Pardons Board meeting.
The decision was made during the 63rd meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya last Friday.
Hannah also stressed that under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, the power and final decision on matters involving pardons rests with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, including the decision to defer consideration of an application.
“Certainly, in accordance with Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, the power and final decision rests with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, including to defer any decision concerning the pardon of Datuk Seri Najib Razak,” she said.
The Pardons Board had met last Friday to consider, among other matters, Najib’s application for a pardon over his conviction in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
Najib was convicted in July 2020 of misappropriating RM42 million belonging to SRC International and was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million. The conviction and sentence were upheld by the Federal Court in August 2022.
On Feb 2, 2024, the Pardons Board secretariat announced that Najib’s prison sentence had been reduced by 50%, from 12 years to six years, while his fine was reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million.
