KUALA LUMPUR, Jan – The Federal Territories Pardon Board has granted a 50 percent reduction for both the sentence and the fine imposed on former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who was convicted of corruption and abuse of power in 2020.
This means that Najib will be eligible for early release on August 23, 2028, with a fine of RM50 million, instead of the original RM210 million.
The Board, led by His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Bilah Shah Ibni Almarhum Sulan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Bilah, decided to cut Najib’s sentence and fine by half after its 61st session on January 29, 2024. The Board made this decision after weighing the opinions and advice carefully.
However, if Najib fails to pay the fine, his prison term will be extended by one year, and his release date will be on August 23, 2029, said the board’s secretariat, in a statement on Friday (Feb 2).
Najib was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million in July 2020, after he was found guilty of seven charges related to the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), a state-owned investment fund that was at the center of a massive global scandal.
Najib has maintained his innocence and appealed his conviction, but his appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in April 2023.
The Pardon Board’s decision has sparked mixed reactions from the public, with some expressing support and sympathy for Najib, and others criticizing and questioning the move.
The Pardon Board is a constitutional body that has the power to grant pardons, respite, or reprieve to any person convicted of any offence in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya – TNSNews