16-3-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) The Malaysian Bar has announced its intention to pursue a judicial review to challenge the decision of the Pardons Board to commute the sentence of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
This resolution was reached during the Malaysian Bar’s 78th annual general meeting on Saturday (March 16), where 238 members voted in support of the motion, with one member opposing it and seven abstaining.
“While the decision of the Pardons Board is deemed final and not subject to challenge in any court, the Malaysian Bar aims to test this stance through the judicial review,” revealed a source familiar with the matter.
Criminal defence lawyer KA Ramu from the Selangor Bar described the move as a demonstration of the Bar’s objection to the decision made by the Pardons Board.
“It was a systematic effort to acquire unlawfully obtained wealth. Despite the unanimous guilty verdict by nine judges… and with ongoing cases pending against him,” Ramu conveyed to The Star.
The motion was reportedly proposed by former Malaysian Bar presidents Zainur Zakaria and seconded by Datuk Yeo Yang Poh.
In the corruption case involving SRC International, the Federal Territories Pardons Board halved Najib’s original 12-year jail term to six years and reduced the RM210 million fine to RM50 million. Najib, 70, has been incarcerated at Kajang Prison since August 23, 2022, following his conviction for misappropriating funds in the RM42 million SRC International case.
With the sentence reduction, Najib is scheduled for release from prison on August 23, 2028. Additionally, he faces multiple charges related to power abuse and money laundering concerning 1MDB funds.
