Azalina pushes questions on Najib’s pardon bid to Hannah Yeoh, says BHEUU is just the messenger

Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, the Minister for Law and Institutional Reform, has urged questions regarding the postponement of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's royal pardon petition to be directed at Hannah Yeoh, a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Federal Territories. According to Azalina, she does not act as the executive representative on the Federal Territories Pardons Board; instead, the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU), which operates as the board's administrative secretariat under her jurisdiction, carries out this role.

BHEUU is responsible for managing the affairs of the board in each state, while the respective state's minister and menteri besar serve as the executive representatives.

Azalina made these remarks after opposition leaders pressured the government to clarify the reasons behind the delay in deliberations over Najib's application. This comes after PAS secretary-general, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, called for an immediate explanation, asserting that the decision was of significant public interest and would not have happened otherwise.

The BHEUU had confirmed earlier that the Federal Territories Pardons Board had decided to postpone consideration of Najib's petition until a future meeting. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim at Istana Negara, where royal pardons were also granted to 65 other inmates serving prison terms.

Najib, currently serving a six-year sentence for corruption in the RM42 million SRC International case, had his original 12-year sentence reduced to six years and his fine cut from RM210 million to RM50 million following an earlier board review in 2024. The former PM remains under a separate custodial sentence for his involvement in the 1MDB trial, which is currently undergoing appeal.