NAJIB Razak’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, is perplexed about a Channel NewsAsia (CNA) report that the Pardons Board would meet within this month to discuss the former prime minister’s application for a royal pardon. 

He said the defence team had not been informed of any decision on the pardon.  

“We as lawyers for Najib who are involved in the petition for his pardon have never been informed (consistent with all other cases) of the steps taken by the Pardons Board (if any) pertaining to our client’s petition for pardon.  

“We are therefore left dumbfounded as to how CNA has speculated this unfounded news,” he said in a statement.

Earlier, CNA reported that Najib’s pardon application was set to be decided on by the Pardons Board later this month. 

The regional news agency said Najib’s application was first deliberated in a Pardons Board meeting in December, and it was decided that the matter would be deferred to this month’s session. 

The meeting is scheduled for the third week of January and “likely to see a decision being made”, reported CNA, quoting government sources. 

Shafee said the defence team did not know about the unnamed sources CNA and reporter Leslie Lopez had relied on for such a sensational story that preoccupied the public and media this morning. 

He said until almost the end of 2023, they had received no news or clue whatsoever about the petition for pardon.  

“Our client was anxious on the status of his petition for pardon and has therefore directed us to remind the Legal Affairs Division on December 4, 2023 of our client’s pending pardon petition, which has received no response thus far.

“Considering that, as of December 4, 2023, the petition has been filed more than 16 months earlier and our client has been in prison for a year and four months.  

“As lawyers, we are more anxious about our client’s position considering his sole ground for his request for pardon was on the basis that he had never received a fair trial, especially in the final leg of his appeal at the Federal Court.” 

He added that Najib should not spend a day in prison. 

“May we remind the press and members of the public that under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, the power of pardon in this case is a prerogative power of the agong, unbridled, unfettered, and absolute in nature.  

“It is therefore disrespectful to second guess the activities of the Pardons Board, whose nature of work must be undertaken in absolute secrecy for it to be effective in providing advice to the agong. 

“Breaches of this confidentiality and secrecy arguably can infringe the Official Secrets Act 1972.” – January 10, 2024.