KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — The police have opened an investigation into comments made by DAP’s Tony Pua in relation to the Pardons Board’s recent decision to halve the sentence of convicted former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said today.

Razarudin also said that Pua is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

"Tony Pua will be called to give his statement tomorrow and it will be taken by the Classified Crime Investigation Unit, Prosecution/Legal Division (D5), Criminal Investigation Department, Bukit Aman,” Razarudin said in a statement.

Razarudin said Pua’s comments that he shared via Facebook are deemed as inciting the public to despise the royal institution when the decision was the Agong’s prerogative to make under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.

Najib had initially received a 12-year prison sentence and a RM210 million fine for abuse of power, breach of trust, and money laundering related to RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

In the official statement on behalf of the Federal Territories Pardons Board, the Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division as the board’s secretariat said the decision was made following a January 29 meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.

It said the Pardons Board meeting, which was chaired by then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had considered five pardons applications, including the one from Najib.

Under the Federal Constitution, the Agong chairs the meetings of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories, which comprises the attorney general, the Federal Territories minister, and a maximum of three other members appointed by the Agong.