KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — A Cabinet minister and member of the Pardons Board, which is chaired by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, was seen at Istana Negara this morning, amid speculation that a meeting could be held to discuss jailed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s bid for clemency.
Najib, 73, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, has been in prison since 2022 and is seeking a new royal pardon over his conviction linked to the scandal at 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund he co-founded while in power.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim deferred a decision on Najib’s clemency application last week, decreeing that consideration of the request be postponed until the next Pardons Board meeting, without specifying when it would take place.
A Reuters journalist saw Pardons Board member and Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh arriving at the palace earlier. An aide confirmed that the minister was there but did not provide details.
The New Straits Times and Utusan Malaysia reported that the attorney-general, who is also a member of the board, was seen arriving.
The palace made no mention of a Pardons Board meeting on its Facebook page today.
More than US$1 billion (RM4.08 billion) from 1MDB allegedly made its way into accounts linked to Najib. He has denied the allegations, saying he was made a scapegoat for the embezzlement of what US investigators say was US$4.5 billion (RM18.45 billion) in a complex, globe-spanning scheme.
In 2024, the Pardons Board, then chaired by the previous King, halved Najib’s initial 12-year jail sentence and reduced the fine imposed on him. Najib has maintained that the decision also included an order for house arrest, but his legal bid to secure it was unsuccessful.
Najib was sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison in December last year and fined RM11.4 billion after being convicted of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.3 billion in 1MDB-linked funds. He has lodged an appeal.
