King defers Najib’s pardon application to a future sitting

PUTRAJAYA: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, has consented to defer the pardon application of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to a future sitting of the Pardons Board.

The deferment was decided at the 63rd meeting of the Pardons Board for Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, held here today, the Prime Minister’s Department said in a statement.

The statement gave no reason for the deferment and set no date for the next meeting.

At the same sitting, the board approved the release of 65 other prisoners. Non-citizens among them are to be deported to their countries of origin within six months of release.

Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party was disappointed by the outcome but would continue to uphold the royal institution.

“We are saddened by the decision. However, we will always uphold the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the royal institution,” he said in a speech at the Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur.

Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister, said the party hoped His Majesty would arrive at the best decision in his wisdom.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the power of pardon rested entirely with the King and should not be questioned by any quarter.

Najib is serving his sentence at Kajang Prison over the misappropriation of RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd.

He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million. In February 2024, the Pardons Board halved the jail term to six years and cut the fine to RM50 million, setting his release date at Aug 23, 2028.

On Dec 26, 2025, the High Court convicted Najib on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.3 billion in funds belonging to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah imposed concurrent jail terms of 15 years and a fine of RM11.38 billion. Najib has filed an appeal against the conviction and sentence.

Four days before that conviction, the High Court dismissed his judicial review application over a purported royal addendum that would have allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. The court held that the addendum did not comply with Article 42 of the Federal Constitution. Najib filed an appeal but withdrew it on April 3, 2026 through a notice of discontinuance, without liberty to file afresh.

Umno has pressed repeatedly for a full pardon for Najib, including through a direct appeal to the King in January this year.

The South China Morning Post reported that the deferment came amid public opposition to the application. The Prime Minister’s Department statement did not address the matter.