Options for Najib to be a free man, according to senior criminal lawyer

SHAH ALAM – Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s legal team may likely file for consideration of a full pardon from Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Senior criminal lawyer Datuk Sheelan Arjunan said Najib’s legal team may be opting to file a petition for clemency from the King for consideration of a full pardon in accordance with Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.

He said this means the King may grant Najib a full pardon and allow for his immediate release from prison.

“Thereafter, he is free to re-enter and participate fully in politics and can even proceed to become the next prime minister should his party win in the next general election,” he said today.

Sheelan also said the petition for pardon may be submitted as soon as his sentence was carried out in accordance with Regulation 113 of the Prisons Regulations 2000.

He said Najib can also apply for today’s decision to be reviewed by a five or larger panel under Rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court 1995.

The Federal Court’s decision today, Sheelan said, has also reassured the people that Malaysia’s judiciary has always remained intact despite various criticism levelled at them in recent times.

A five-man Federal Court bench upheld his conviction and sentence for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.

Najib was convicted, sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 28, 2020.

The ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal on Dec 8, 2021.