Najib’s house arrest row: Malaysian sultan’s comment on royal pardons stirs debate
The former prime minister claims that a decree has been issued allowing him to serve his reduced prison sentence at home
According to Najib, the supplementary royal decree, or “addendum”, would allow him to serve the remainder of his reduced prison sentence at home. The Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed his bid to enforce a similar document in December last year.
The latest claim has polarised opinion in Malaysia, where Najib’s corruption cases have proved a sensitive test of the rule of law, elite privilege and public trust in institutions.
In a statement released late on Monday, the Pahang palace quoted Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah as saying the royal “prerogative of mercy” under the federal constitution must not be interpreted “emotionally, or with mixed sentiment”.
He said that the power of pardon was “not a political gift, nor … a form of personal sympathy”, but a constitutional check and balance designed to temper an “inherently punitive” justice system.
The sultan added that clemency was neither exclusive to any individual nor to any political party, noting that “hundreds of prisoners” received reductions or pardons each year from Malaysia’s king and state rulers.