Malaysia 1MDB scandal: ex-PM Najib’s royal pardon ruling expected this month

The Pardons Board is set to meet later this month and is likely to decide on Najib Razak’s application for a royal pardon, local media said

The former PM is serving a 12-year jail term for graft linked to state fund 1MDB scandal which US and Malaysian investigators estimate US$4.5 billion was stolen

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Malaysia is set to rule this month on royal pardon for jailed ex-PM Najib over his role in the 1MDB scandal. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 5:50pm, 10 Jan 2024Updated: 8:39pm, 10 Jan 2024

Malaysia is set to make a decision this month on jailed former prime minister Najib Razak’s application for a royal pardon, broadcaster CNA said on Wednesday.

The former premier is serving a 12-year jail term for graft linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), from which US and Malaysian investigators estimate US$4.5 billion was stolen, with more than US$1 billion channelled to accounts linked to Najib, who has always maintained his innocence.

The Pardons Board, which advises Malaysia’s king and includes the attorney general and government officials, is set to meet in the third week of January and is likely to decide on Najib’s application for a royal pardon, CNA said.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the report.

“Our client and us are in the dark about the state of our client’s petition for pardon,” Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said in a statement on Wednesday.