Cutting Najib's sentence a collective decision by Pardons Board, Dr Zaliha says after call for sacking over role

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — Dr Zaliha Mustafa has accused the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) of being “immature” for calling her to be sacked over Datuk Seri Najib Razak's reduced sentence.

Dr Zaliha, who is the Federal Territories minister and sits on the Pardons Board which announced the decision to halve Najib's prison sentence from 12 years to six years yesterday, said it was made collectively.

“[The call for me to be sacked] is a personal opinion.

“The decision [to halve his sentence] is a collective decision by the Pardons Board so for me, the call [for me to be sacked] is immature," she was quoted as saying by New Straits Times.

Dr Zaliha said any matters about Najib's pardon should be directed to the board, after being asked if it would release its grounds for the Najib decision.

She was responding to Muda's remark calling for her sacking, with the party claiming she had failed in her duty as a government representative on the board over the purported recommendations she gave.

Muda also called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to explain the government's stance on the matter and grounds for the decision.

Yesterday, the Federal Territories Pardons Board announced that Najib’s prison sentence for the misappropriation of RM42 million from a former 1MDB unit will be reduced by half while his fine will be cut from RM210 million to RM50 million.

The decision meant Najib, who began serving his prison term in August 2022, would be released by 2028.

He is likely to be released even earlier than that as he would be eligible for parole on good behaviour after serving just two-thirds of the six years.

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 this decision was made following the 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.