PUTRAJAYA: Federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has expressed hope that the status of former prime minister Najib Razak’s application for a royal pardon will be revealed this week.
“God willing, it will be announced this week,” she told reporters after an event here today.
“Be patient. We will wait for the statement from the board.”
Rumours of Najib being granted a pardon have been swirling following reports that the Federal Territories Pardons Board met at Istana Negara on Monday.
Zaliha, who sits on the board, previously confirmed that the meeting took place but did not diclose if Najib’s application was discussed.
At a press conference yesterday, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail acknowledged that the Cabinet had been informed of Najib’s application for a royal pardon.
However, he declined to give details of the information brought to the government’s attention.
“We discussed the matter briefly but since it falls within the jurisdiction of the board, it is the board that must answer,” Saifuddin said.
Najib began his 12-year prison term on Aug 23, 2022, following the Federal Court’s dismissal of his final appeal in the SRC International case.
His lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, previously said a pardon application was first submitted in September 2022, and that addendums to the petition were filed in October that year and in April 2023.
