PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir stated that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his government should take responsibility for the decision made by the Pardons Board to reduce Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s prison sentence.
The president of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air raised doubts about the rationale behind the decision, particularly since the former prime minister still had other ongoing legal cases.
“I also fail to understand the excuse provided by Anwar that it was entirely the Pardons Board’s decision,” Mukhriz said in a video recording on Monday (Feb 5).
“If we take a closer look, the decision made by the Pardon’s Board favors the government led by Anwar, in exchange for the support of Barisan Nasional,” Mukhriz added.
On Friday (Feb 2), the Pardons Board announced that Najib’s prison sentence would be reduced from 12 years to six, and the fine reduced from RM210mil to RM50mil.
Najib, 70, had been serving his jail sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42mil in SRC International funds. He submitted the petition for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022.
On July 28, 2020, the High Court sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and a RM210mil fine after finding him guilty of three counts of criminal breach of trust and one charge of abusing his position.
His appeal against his conviction and sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in 2021 and the Federal Court on Aug 23 the following year, leaving a royal pardon as the only option for his release.
