Senior Malaysian Politician Mahathir Mohamad Says Former PM Najib Razak May Be Pardoned

JAKARTA - Senior Malaysian politician Mahathir Mohamad said former prime minister Najib Razak is likely to receive a royal pardon and be released from a 12-year prison sentence for corruption.

Mahathir said delays in trials related to the multi-billion dollar corruption scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) would result in justice not being achieved.

Najib was first convicted in 2020, but he appealed to a higher court. On Tuesday, the Federal Court dismissed his final appeal.

The Federal Court upheld a 12-year prison term and a 210 million ringgit (USD 46.88 million) fine against him for illegally receiving USD 10 million from one of 1MDB's units.

"For Najib, it is very likely that he will be pardoned after being imprisoned," Mahathir said in a statement, citing Reuters, August 25.

However, Mahathir did not elaborate on his statement.

Meanwhile, the Palace of King Al-Sultan Abdullah, which received a pardon petition from Najib loyalists the day before, did not respond to requests for comment on Mahathir's remarks.

Najib is believed to be close to several Malaysian royals. He had made social media uploads, while attending the Eid al-Fitr celebration last May.

So far, there has been no indication how the palace will respond to a plea for clemency by Najib, who held power for nine years until 2018.

There is also no sign of how Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will respond to the pardon for his party senior, amid efforts to rehabilitate the image of the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO).