Jailed Malaysian ex-PM Najib considering new request for a full pardon: Lawyer
Malaysia's Pardons Board had halved Najib Razak's jail sentence for corruption, cutting it from 12 to six years.
Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak leaves a court in Kuala Lumpur on Apr 3, 2019, after facing his trial over alleged involvement in the looting of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. (Photo: AFP/Mohd Rasfan)
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KUALA LUMPUR: Jailed former Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak is considering filing a new petition for a full pardon, his lawyer said on Wednesday (Feb 7), less than a week after a special panel agreed to halve his jail sentence.
Najib, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted in a case linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, had applied for clemency previously.
But the pardons board, which is chaired by Malaysia's king, opted last week to reduce his sentence.
Najib's lawyer Shafee Abdullah said a new request was being considered as his client had not received a fair trial. Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing.
The lawyer also raised questions over the pardons process led by Al-Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, who ended his five-year reign as king on Jan 30, shortly after issuing the sentence reduction for Najib.
"I don't think the pardons board operated the way the constitution dictates it operates," Shafee said.
