Clemency bids for crimes committed in Malaysia must be submitted to the Pardons Board chaired by King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, according to a statement from the palace, just as jailed former prime minister Najib Razak is seeking a house arrest via the courts.
“If any party would like to suggest any prisoner to be given a pardon or reduction of sentence, the application must be submitted by the prisoner to the Pardons Board that is chaired by the King for its next meeting,” the national palace said in a statement issued on Friday and posted on Sultan Ibrahim’s Facebook page.
It did not refer to any specific individual and also did not say when the board’s next meeting will be.
Najib remains in prison for crimes related to the looting of the state investment fund 1MDB while he was prime minister. The former leader last year turned to the courts to be placed under house arrest, saying that Sultan Ibrahim’s predecessor — who already halved his sentence to six years in a royal pardon — had also wanted him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.
The High Court rejected the petition, prompting him to file an appeal that will be heard on Monday.
Najib’s supporters from the United Malays National Organisation, a key ruling party, said they will rally for him outside the courts on that day, while the opposition Malaysian Islamic Party has also said it will join the assembly.
Najib, found guilty for 1MDB-related corruption charges, began serving his 12-year prison sentence in 2022 after losing his final appeal at Malaysia’s highest court.
The Pardons Board then chaired by Malaysia’s previous King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad — who hails from the same state as Najib — in 2024 halved the former premier’s sentence in one of the royal’s last acts as king before handing over duties to Sultan Ibrahim under Malaysia’s unique rotational monarchy.
Najib had initially considered submitting a new application for a full pardon — which would have had to go through Sultan Ibrahim — before seeking a court order to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
He claims the former king issued an addendum order allowing him to serve his reduced prison sentence under house arrest, but the order was not made public by the Pardons Board.