1MDB scandal: Anwar seeks to soothe Malaysians’ outrage over Najib Razak’s reduced punishment

The decision to halve Najib Razak’s sentence and cut his fine for corruption linked to the plunder of 1MDB enraged the public and reopened old wounds

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday framed the decision as a ‘matter of compassion’ on the part of Sultan Abdullah in a final act as Malaysia’s king

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Najib Razak leaves a court in Kuala Lumpur in 2019. Anger has poured out across Malaysian social media at the 70-year-old disgraced former leader’s perceived preferential treatment. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:20pm, 5 Feb 2024Updated: 7:57pm, 5 Feb 2024

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday urged Malaysians to accept the reduction of Najib Razak’s 12-year jail sentence for corruption, as a key whistle-blower who helped expose the 1MDB scandal faced police action for lampooning the decision and fissures threatened to appear inside the governing coalition.

The decision to halve Najib’s sentence and cut his fine for corruption linked to the plunder of the 1MDB state fund – made by a pardons board chaired by Sultan Abdullah in one of his final acts as king – enraged the public and reopened wounds on all sides of Malaysia’s festering political divide.

Anger has poured out across social media at the perceived preferential treatment for 70-year-old Najib. The disgraced former leader, who established the 1MDB fund, has served 16 months in prison for his role in a scandal that saw millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money funnelled into his personal bank account.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday that issuing an explanation for the pardons board’s decision on Najib would be the former king’s “prerogative”. Photo: AFP

On Monday, Anwar tried to soothe the outrage being aimed at his administration, which came to power in late 2022 partly thanks to the support of Umno, Najib’s party.

“His majesty is what is described as a fountain of mercy,” Anwar said of the king’s decision as head of the pardons board on the last day of his reign on January 30. “The main consideration is the matter of compassion. Whether his majesty decided to issue an explanation or not, that is his prerogative.”

The pardons board also reduced Najib’s fine from 210 million ringgit (US$44.5 million) to just 50 million ringgit.

Najib, who denies all wrongdoing, must be released no later than August 23, 2028, the board said on Friday. But he could be granted parole as early as the end of next year under sentencing rules.