A partial pardon in Malaysia

KOTA KINABALU: Whenever the topic of discussion turns to former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, I would almost inevitably have to put up a "disclaimer" of sorts. As is quite widely known, I was Najib's political secretary during the initial period of his premiership and may thus be said to have had a professional relationship with him. But readers familiar with my writings would also have long noticed that although commentaries might not be said to be absolutely neutral or even focused on the subject matter and not the personality, I have always tried my best to be at least pertinent in my comments. I would not deliberately take sides, but I would also not try to avoid controversy, as was evident in my discussion over my home state of Sabah. Overall, I try to focus on the issue at hand, however sensational it might be.

In 2020, Najib Razak was convicted by a Malaysian high court of criminal breach of trust, misuse of power and money laundering in relation to the world "renowned" 1MDB scandal and sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment plus fines. His legal appeals were exhausted in 2022, and he commenced his prison sentence then. Najib filed for pardon from the Malaysian king, and late last month, the Malaysian pardons board met to consider his pardon request. Last week, the pardons board belatedly issued a statement that halved Najib's prison sentence to six years.