ANN/THE STAR – The Malaysian Bar plans to pursue a judicial review aimed at contesting the Pardons Board’s ruling to commute the sentence of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
This initiative was endorsed during the Malaysian Bar’s 78th annual general meeting yesterday, with 238 members in favour of the motion, one member opposing it, and seven others abstaining.
Despite the Pardons Board’s decision being considered final and unchallengeable in any court, the Malaysian Bar intends to challenge it through the judicial review process, as stated by a reliable source. Criminal Defence Lawyer KA Ramu from the Selangor Bar said the move was a way of displaying the Bar’s objection to the Pardons Board’s decision.
“It was a systematic act to obtain ill-gotten wealth. There were nine judges who found him guilty and he still has ongoing cases,” he told The Star.
It is learnt that the motion was proposed and seconded by former Malaysian Bar presidents Zainur Zakaria and Datuk Yeo Yang Poh respectively. The Federal Territories Pardons Board had halved the former prime minister’s 12-year jail sentence over the SRC International corruption case to six years and reduced the MYR210 million fine to MYR50 million.
Najib, 70, has been serving jail time in Kajang Prison since August 23, 2022 for the misappropriation of funds in the MYR42 million SRC International case.
Following the reduction of his sentence, he will be freed from prison on August 23, 2028.
He also faces multiple other charges for power abuse and money-laundering involving 1MDB funds.
