FORMER Prime Minister Najib Razak’s royal pardon petition does not involve any legal course, but rests entirely with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Umno information chief Azalina Othman Said said.

She said this is the power exercisable by the king as enshrined in Article 42 of the Federal Constitution. 

“No more legal aspects, no more legal procedure; it is now in a court of compassion, at the king’s discretion. We cannot do anything… Let the king decide or study it first if he wants… We (Umno) are no longer involved,” she said after launching the malaysia-sulucase.gov.my website in Putrajaya today, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir and Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

Azalina, who is also law and institutional reform minister, said this in response to lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla’s remark that Umno cannot file a royal pardon petition for Najib.

The lawyer said according to regulation 113 of the Prison Regulations 2000, the petition can only be filed by Najib himself, his family members, or a lawyer appointed by Najib and the Prisons Department.

Earlier, it was reported that the Umno Supreme Council wanted to seek an audience with the king to present a memorandum asking for Najib to be royally pardoned.

On August 23, 2022, the Federal Court upheld Najib’s conviction, 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine for the misappropriation of RM42 million in the SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.

On March 31, the court dismissed his application for a review of its ruling. Najib is currently serving his sentence at Kajang Prison.

The former Pekan MP was reported to have filed a petition seeking a royal pardon for his conviction in the SRC International case in September last year. – Bernama, April 12, 2023.