PETALING JAYA: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, extended Deepavali greetings to Malaysians celebrating with a post on his official Facebook page.
His Majesty shared a photograph of himself with Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, with the message: “Happy Deepavali. Wishing your families a blessed Deepavali filled with happiness, peace, good health and prosperity.”
The post drew messages of goodwill from netizens who thanked the King and Queen for their well-wishes.
On a separate issue involving Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Istana Negara said there should be no ambiguity in the conditional pardon order allowing the former prime minister to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.
On Saturday, the palace said the King’s order was clear and should not be subject to differing interpretations or prolonged uncertainty over its implementation.
“The Federal Territories Pardons Board had considered Najib’s petition under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution during its meeting on Sept 18.
“The meeting was also attended by the Federal Territories Minister and the Attorney General, who provided the appropriate advice to His Majesty,” it said.
Following the meeting, Sultan Ibrahim decreed that Najib could serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, subject to the condition that he paid the RM50mil fine.
“This conditional pardon order is clear, explicit and free from any ambiguity and it is not linked to any other cases against him,” the statement read.
It also said there should be no confusion over the interpretation of the order or any prolonged uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the decision that had received royal assent.
Istana Negara also emphasised that the power of pardon was a royal prerogative provided for under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.
“The exercise of this power must be respected in accordance with the position of the constitutional monarchy and the principles of the rule of law.
“Since all conditions stipulated in the conditional pardon order had been fulfilled, any arguments disputing the order will amount to disregarding His Majesty’s decree,” it added.
The statement followed developments surrounding the implementation of Najib’s house arrest, which was expected to begin after the RM50mil fine imposed on him in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case was settled.
On Friday, Najib’s lawyer confirmed that the fine had been paid by Umno to the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry.
He said the court had subsequently issued an order for Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, adding that the necessary documents would be delivered to the Kajang Prison authorities.
However, the Attorney General’s Chambers later called for the implementation to be temporarily deferred pending clarification of legal questions surrounding the conditional pardon order and its implications for Najib’s remaining prison sentence.
