KUALA LUMPUR – The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) is not a member of the Federal Territories Pardons Board, nor is she involved in the board’s dealings.
The clarification, issued by the Legal Affairs Division in the Prime Minister’s Department, comes after PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan earlier urged the government to clarify supposedly conflicting information on the ministry responsible for the board.
“The division is responsible for coordinating matters relating to meetings of the Pardons Board for the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya.
“The division is also tasked with providing reports directly to the federal territories minister as the minister in charge,” the division said in a statement today.
In the Dewan Rakyat today, Takiyuddin accused Law Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said of misleading the House when she said that the Federal Territories Ministry is responsible for the board as the secretariat to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
In questioning Azalina’s remark, Takiyuddin highlighted that the February 2 press statement announcing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s reduced jail sentence and lessened fine was issued by the Legal Affairs Division in the Prime Minister’s Department.
However, Bersatu chief whip Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee clarified that the opposition is not seeking to refer Azalina to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee, suggesting that she instead provide a clarification to the House.
Last week, during her winding-up speech for the Supply Bill 2025, Azalina was asked by Takiyuddin regarding the existence of an addendum order in the royal pardon granted to Najib, who is serving jail time for corruption in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
The board had halved his prison sentence from 12 to six years and reduced his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.
However, Najib contends that there is a royal supplementary order which supposedly allows him to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest.
To date, the government has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the addendum order.
Najib is currently taking up the matter in court through a judicial review. The Court of Appeal is set to hear his bid against the high court’s dismissal of his legal challenge on December 5. – November 11, 2024