Malaysian king at odds with attorney general over ex-PM Najib's pardon

Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and the country’s former prime minister Najib Razak. [AFP]

Malaysia's king said Saturday that the attorney general risked denying a royal order by delaying ex-prime minister Najib Razak's release from prison, adding there was no ambiguity to the pardon he was granted.

The 73-year-old Najib was jailed for his role in one of the largest-ever global plunders of a sovereign wealth fund, the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

But King Sultan Ibrahim granted him a conditional pardon in September, allowing him to serve out the rest of his sentence at home provided he pay a $12 million fine.

On Friday, the country's attorney general blocked the former prime minister's transfer to house arrest after the fine was paid, saying his office needed more clarification on the pardon.

The king said Saturday there was nothing to clarify, calling the pardon "clear, evident and without any ambiguity".

"There should be no confusion in interpretation," King Ibrahim said in a statement, adding it was not tied to any other cases against the former leader.

"Given that all conditions in the conditional pardon order have been fulfilled, any argument questioning the order leads towards denying the order of His Majesty the King."

Najib's lawyers thanked the monarch on Saturday, saying there was "no basis" for authorities to keep Razak in prison "a moment longer".

"They must transfer him immediately to his residence at Jalan Langgak Duta to serve his house arrest, as His Majesty has ordered," lawyer Farhan Shafee said in a statement.

The attorney general's office issued its own statement shortly afterwards, denying it was challenging the king's authority while giving no indication if it intended to immediately release Najib.

"This step is not aimed at delaying or denying the implementation of the Conditional Pardon Order, but to avoid any conflict in the implementation of the orders in force and to ensure no sentence is implemented unlawfully," it said.

A brief exit

A day earlier, the attorney general's office said it had sought a "temporary suspension of the execution of the house arrest" pending further investigation into the terms of Najib's pardon, adding he would remain in prison.

"During this period, his detention status shall be maintained in his existing place of detention, subject to the powers and instructions of the relevant authorities," it said.

An AFP reporter saw Najib on Friday leave the Kajang Prison compound in a silver car, followed by a convoy of vehicles.

Najib did not appear at his house, according to reporters, and a government minister said he was just out for a previously scheduled dental appointment.

The same convoy that whisked Najib out of the prison compound returned more than four hours later under police escort, an AFP reporter saw.

Money siphoned

Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison in July 2020 in a first trial over vast sums of money siphoned from a former 1MDB subsidiary called SRC International Sdn Bhd.

But a pardons board later halved the term, and his fine was reduced to 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million).

His sentence in this case is scheduled to be completed by August 2028.

Days after Najib's December bid for house arrest was turned down, he was sentenced to another 15 years behind bars in a separate trial, also linked to the 1MDB scandal.

Najib has also been fined 11.4 billion ringgit for his role in the corruption scandal, which took place more than a decade ago.

He is currently appealing the 15-year sentence, which is only set to start once the six-year sentence is completed.

The son of one of Malaysia's founding fathers, Najib was groomed for leadership from a young age but fell from power spectacularly as public anger mounted over the corruption scandal.

Investigations under successive governments have ensnared him and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, in graft allegations since his loss in 2018 elections.

Prosecutors said Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB advisory board chairman to move vast sums from the fund into his personal accounts.

According to investigators, proceeds from the fund were used to bankroll high-end real estate, a luxury yacht and precious artworks, including a Monet and a Van Gogh.