KOTA KINABALU: People may be emboldened to commit crime if they believe they can get amnesty or a "discount" on their sentence, says Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
The Sabah Deputy Chief Minister said this could be on potential criminals' minds after former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s partial pardon which saw his jail sentence reduced from 12 years to six, and his fine cut down from RM210mil to RM50mil.
He said there should only be one justice system and the same standard must be applied to everyone or it would send the wrong message and people would expect amnesty after committing a crime.
"They will say 'I can also be pardoned, get a discount'," he told reporters after launching the Chinese New Year Rural Development Corporation market at Tanjung Lipat here on Saturday (Feb 3).
