THE cabinet, which met today, did not discuss Najib Razak’s claims that an addendum in a recent royal pardon allowed him to serve the remainder of his six-year jail term under house arrest.

He had said this as part of his judicial review leave application to be allowed to serve his jail term under house arrest.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who is the spokesman for the unity government, said the matter was not raised or discussed in the cabinet meeting.

“It (claims made by Najib) was not discussed during the (Cabinet) meeting,” Fahmi told reporters in Putrajaya today.

Najib’s application was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 1.

He is seeking a court order to compel the home minister, the attorney-general, the Pardons Board, the federal government, and a few other respondents to confirm this alleged addendum in the royal pardon.

On February 2, the pardons board halved Najib’s initial 12-year jail sentence over the RM42 million SRC International corruption case, which will see the former leader walk free on August 23, 2028.

The board said that it made the decision after a meeting on January 29. It did not give a reason for approving Najib’s request for a pardon,

It also reduced Najib’s RM210 million fine to just RM50 million.

In 2020, Najib was convicted of involvement in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, and began serving his sentence in August 2022, after exhausting the various avenues of legal appeal. – April 3, 2024.