Malaysia’s king warned on Saturday that any attempt to challenge his order letting former Prime Minister Najib Razak go from jail to house arrest could amount to defying his decree. The warning came a day after authorities delayed Najib’s transfer.
Najib has been in jail since 2022. He was found guilty of corruption and money laundering in a case linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, and he has consistently denied wrongdoing.
He was due to be transferred home on Friday. His party paid a 50-million-ringgit or 12-million-dollar fine to fulfil a condition of a royal pardon issued by King Sultan Ibrahim in September that would allow him to serve his remaining two years at home.
The transfer, however, was suspended. The attorney-general’s office said questions had arisen over the legal interpretation of the royal pardon and a court order issued on Friday allowing Najib to leave jail.
Sultan Ibrahim said on Saturday his pardon order was clear, explicit and without any ambiguity. He said the attorney-general and federal territories minister had attended the pardons board meeting at which the order was issued.
There should therefore be no confusion over its interpretation, nor should there be prolonged uncertainty over the implementation of the decision that has been granted, the king said in a statement issued by the national palace. The attorney-general’s chambers did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside office hours.
The attorney-general’s chambers responded, however, to accusations by Najib’s lawyers of executive overreach. The office said in a statement it was only seeking legal clarity and had never disputed, set aside or intended to suspend the conditional pardon order granted by His Majesty.
The attorney-general’s chambers considers that the issue should be referred immediately to the court for a clear determination and directions, the statement said.
The king holds a position held in rotation by Malaysia’s nine regional sultans. The monarch plays a largely ceremonial role in Malaysia but has the authority to grant pardons, according to discretionary powers under the constitution.
The monarch and the country’s other sultans are held in deep respect by Malaysians. Negative remarks about the royalty can be prosecuted under the colonial-era Sedition Act.
