KUALA LUMPUR: Umno will leave it to the discretion of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, whether Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be granted a pardon.
"We are hoping for the best.
"The authority ultimately lies with the King, through His Majesty’s wisdom and sole discretion," Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said briefly when asked about his expectations ahead of the Pardons Board meeting on Friday (Sept 11).
This comes following reports that the Federal Territories Pardons Board is due to meet this week to consider a clemency bid by the jailed former prime minister.
Najib, 72, was convicted of misappropriating RM42mil belonging to SRC International and sentenced to 12 years in prison, along with a RM210mil fine.
He began serving his sentence at Kajang Prison on Aug 23, 2022.
The Pardons Board subsequently halved his prison term to six years and reduced the fine to RM50mil.
On Dec 22, then High Court judge Justice Alice Loke Yee Ching, now a Court of Appeal judge, dismissed Najib's application to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest.
Najib later withdrew his appeal against the decision.
