At a time when Malaysians are busy doing their weekend shopping and enjoying their year-end festivities, they were surprised to read a press statement by the Attorney-General Chambers (AGC) issued this afternoon about the issue of Pardon by the King
KUALA LUMPUR – All applications for pardon for offences committed in Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya must be submitted to the Board of Pardons chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong according to the procedures and channels stipulated under the law and not through any other channels, the Attorney General Chambers (AGC) said in a statement issued today.
It informed that if any party wishes to propose that any inmate, including Datuk Seri Najib Razak, serve the remainder of their sentence at home, the application must be submitted for consideration by the Board of Pardons.
“In this case, the decision made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong based on the advice of the Board of Pardons under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution is also subject to applicable legal provisions to prevent such actions from being challenged in court as being unlawful,” he said in a statement shared on the department’s X account on Saturday.
The High Court had previously rejected the leave for judicial review and the notice of motion filed by the former prime minister to submit additional evidence regarding the alleged addendum decree issued by the Agong concerning house arrest.
The Court of Appeal then scheduled January 6 for hearing Najib’s appeal against the High Court’s decision regarding the addendum decree.
Various Reactions
The media statement brought about a number of reactions from the public and media, not to mention the legal fraternity.
The first to issue a statement was senior lawyer Haniff Khatri, who said that the media statement by the Attorney General’s Office raises more questions than answers.
“Among the questions is whether this statement was issued by the Attorney General’s Office following any recent application made by or on behalf of Najib Razak, as in the first paragraph, it specifically refers to prisoner Mohd Najib Abdul Razak.
“If there is, then the public needs to be informed whether there is any recent application that has been made by Najib Razak, apart from the pardon application on September 2, 2022, which was the starting point for the issue of the sentence reduction decree on January 29, 2024, and the controversial decree Addendum dated the same.”
He added that if there is an extension application made, who made the application and what channel was used? Is it because the channel was wrong, and possibly because of that the Attorney General’s Office had to issue a media statement?
AGC Needs to Explain
“This matter needs to be clarified by the Attorney General’s Office. It needs to be explained and not just make a statement that raises more questions. Therefore, the public has the right to take note that the media statement of the Attorney General’s Office is related to the issue of the controversial decree Addendum.
“The media statement of the Attorney General’s Office is an improper interference in an issue that is being disputed in the court of appeal within a week.”
According to Haniff, this statement may expose the Attorney General’s Office and the party that issued the statement on behalf of the Attorney General to contempt of court and improper interference and sub judice.
“I hope, for the sake of the country’s well-being and the dignity of the Attorney General’s Office, according to the concept of the rule of law and the supremacy of the constitution, the Attorney General’s Office issues a complete and clear statement,” he added.
Already Expected
Meanwhile, UMNO Youth Chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh said that the statement by the Attorney General’s Department (AGC) regarding the issue of house arrest involving Najib was already expected and also questioned the pardon given to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in May 2018.
UMNO Youth Chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh asked the AGC whether the pardon of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in 2018 went through the Pardons Board because the Cabinet at that time had not yet been formed.
He asked in a Facebook post whether the pardon given to Anwar went through the Pardons Board because the Cabinet had not yet been formed by Tun Mahathir at that time.
For the record, on May 16, 2018, Anwar received a full pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after Pakatan Harapan (PH) won the 14th General Election (GE-14).
“As expected. Allah is almighty, to Allah we pray for justice for Datuk Seri Najib Razak,” he said. – NMH
Datin Hasnah is the co-founder and CEO of New Malaysia Herald based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
With an extensive background in mass communication and journalism, she works on building up New Malaysia Herald and it’s partner sites. A tireless and passionate evangalist, she champions autism studies and support groups.
Datin Hasnah is also the Editor in Chief of New Malaysia Herald.
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