Pardons Board postpones decision on Najib’s clemency application

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's request for a pardon regarding his convictions in the 1MDB scandal will be discussed at the upcoming Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB) meeting. The legal affairs division of the Prime Minister's Department revealed that Sultan Ibrahim, who chaired today's meeting, agreed to postpone Najib's pardon application to the next FTPB gathering.

During the current meeting, Sultan Ibrahim also consented to the release of 65 non-citizen inmates, who are required to be deported within six months of their release. The FTPB meeting, which initially aimed to consider Najib's pardon among other issues, saw Sultan Ibrahim reduce the former prime minister's initial 12-year jail term to six years and his RM210 million fine to RM50 million.

Najib, who was convicted six years ago for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International funds, has since been serving his sentence in Kajang prison since August 2022. In December 2025, he faced additional charges of abuse of power and money laundering involving over RM2 billion linked to 1MDB, receiving a 15-year sentence and an RM11.38 billion fine. Najib is currently contesting the latest conviction.