SINGAPORE: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has refused to be drawn into former premier Najib Razak’s bid to serve the remainder of his six-year jail sentence under house arrest.
“The decision must be made at the Pardons Board meeting and the final decision by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong must also be made at the meeting,” said Mr Anwar in his speech at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) 25th anniversary convention on Sunday (Apr 21), according to The Star.
Malaysia’s Pardons Board consists of the attorney-general, the chief minister and a maximum of three others appointed by the country’s king or state ruler. In Najib’s case, Dr Zaliha Mustafa – as the federal territories minister – is part of the board reviewing his bid.
On Sunday, Mr Anwar also stressed that relationships among the parties in the unity government were “stable and strong” although there were some issues that needed to be negotiated outside Cabinet, referring to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recent affidavit, where he claimed to have seen a royal order supporting Najib’s bid.
The unity government consists of Mr Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN) – of which the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) is a component party – as well as parties from Malaysia’s Borneo states.
Mr Anwar, who is also PKR president, said that the “voices outside (the Cabinet) do not necessarily represent the voice of the leadership”, according to the Malay Mail.
“I have to admit that there are a few things that are unravelling outside the Cabinet. But so far there is no sign of even a small rift between PH, UMNO-BN, Sabah and Sarawak,” he added.
Mr Ahmad Zahid is chairman of the BN coalition, and president of Najib’s party UMNO. He was Najib’s political secretary during his tenures as youth minister and minister of defence in the late eighties and early nineties.
Mr Anwar first said that the matter concerning Najib’s remaining sentence fell under the Pardon’s Board’s jurisdiction when speaking to reporters on Apr 19. He also said then that he did not want to get involved in the matter.
Najib’s bid for house arrest and Mr Ahmad Zahid’s statement have caused backlash and accusations of impunity and special treatment against Mr Anwar and his deputy, according to South China Morning Post.
On Apr 17, CNA sighted a copy of the affidavit, claiming Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had shown Mr Ahmad Zahid a copy of a royal addendum order approving house arrest for Najib, who has been serving his sentence in Selangor’s Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022 .
The royal order was reportedly issued by Malaysia’s former king Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billahwas Shah of Pahang.
According to Mr Ahmad Zahid, Mr Tengku Zafrul showed him a photograph or scan of the royal order during a meeting at his house on Jan 30, a day after a Pardons Board meeting which halved Najib’s initial 12-year sentence.
Mr Tengku Zafrul has issued a statement disputing the claims as having “certain factual errors”.
The affidavit was filed with Kuala Lumpur Crown Court on Apr 9. Whether Najib’s push for house arrest will be successful will be determined on Jun 5.
Analysts CNA spoke to believe that the affidavit and its surrounding drama could cause a rift between UMNO and the unity government, as the latter does not want to be seen as “freeing” Najib.
Najib was arrested on Jul 3, 2018, as part of an investigation into the 1MDB scandal. In 2020, he was found guilty of seven charges of corruption for illegally receiving US$9.4 million from SRC International, a former unit of the government fund.
Mr Ahmad Zahid himself also faced 47 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), bribery and money laundering in relation to his charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) in 2018.
In September last year, he was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on all 47 charges. However, the High Court has since set Jun 27 to decide a leave application by the Malaysian Bar to challenge the attorney-general’s decision to halt the proceedings against the deputy prime minister, Bernama has previously reported.