Malaysian Minister Calls Requests For Royal Forgiveness For Former PM Najib Razak Not The Government's Attitude

Najib Razak. (Wikimedia Commons/Firdaus Latif)

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Monday said the request for a royal amnesty for the imprisoned former prime minister, Najib Razak, was not the attitude of the unity government.

On the other hand, Loke said this problem was a party issue in the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). UMNO is part of a unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"The Cabinet has never discussed this (mergence) and ministers from UMNO have never raised this issue," he said as reported by CNA from The Star April 10.

"The issue of forgiveness is not the government's attitude, but the attitude of UMNO as a political party," continued Loke.

Loke, who is also Secretary General of the Democratic Action Party, added that the unity government will hand over to Malaysia's King, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, to decide whether the pardon proposed by Najib will be granted or not.

"Whether it is granted or not, it is up to Yang Di-Pertuan Agong... We put our trust in the king's process and wisdom to make the best decisions," he said, according to the New Straits Times.

UMNO had previously announced that it would ask the king to consider granting pardons to its former leaders.

It is known that Najib himself is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for a corruption case.

Last Friday, UMNO's supreme council unanimously agreed to meet with the king, to deliver a note signed by 191 divisions as well as its other political wings.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said UMNO's intention to appeal to the king was in accordance with existing legal procedures and was carried out without political pressure, according to a named report.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the current UMNO president, said his party would follow all existing legal procedures before filing an appeal to the Board of pardons.

"As a political party, we will of course follow all existing legal procedures and when the procedure is adhered to, it will depend on the Board of pardon," he said.

Previously, PM Anwar said that there was no conflict of interest between the involvement of his office and the Board of pardon.

He told local media anyone could apply for forgiveness and all parties must comply with the rules and regulations set.

"Even though it goes through the process and I participate in the process, in the end the issue of medal and forgiveness is the authority and wisdom that is being discussed by Pertuan Agong and does not need to be discussed in public," explained PM Anwar.

It is known that the request for royal amnesty was the only way for Najib Razak to be released from prison, after the Malaysian High Court late last month rejected attempts to review corruption sentences related to the multi-billion dollar scandal in the 1MDB state financial institution.

The court's refusal ended the judicial efforts that Najib could take to oppose the guilty verdict.

Federal Court Judge Vernon Ong said a panel of five people decided in a 4-1 vote to reject Najib's request regarding a review of the verdict.