Malaysia’s previous king urges all to end ‘unnecessary’ debates on his royal order over Najib’s house arrest bid

KUANTAN: Malaysia’s previous king has called on all parties to “stop further discussions” regarding a royal order he had issued involving former prime minister Najib Razak’s bid to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest. 

Instead, Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah - who is the Pahang ruler - stressed that the matter is before the courts and called on all parties to respect the “legal process”.  

“Regarding the addendum decree, this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the responsible and trustworthy parties,” Sultan Abdullah said at a religious gathering in Pahang’s state mosque on Thursday (Feb 27), as quoted by Malaysiakini. 

“Therefore, all parties must respect the processes and laws that have been established. Avoid creating confusion or unnecessary debates,” he reportedly said.

This appears to be the first time that the Pahang ruler has spoken publicly about issues surrounding the addendum order.

In an application to seek a judicial review in April last year, Najib claimed that Sultan Abdullah had issued the order for him to be under house arrest during a Jan 29, 2024 meeting of the Pardons Board. The meeting was held one day before Sultan Abdullah ended his reign as Malaysia’s monarch.

This comes after the Pardons Board on Feb 2 last year officially announced that Najib’s jail sentence for corruption be reduced from 12 to six years. The board also reduced his RM210 million (US$47.1 million) fine to RM50 million. 

CNA was the first to break the news on Jan 31 last year on Najib’s partial royal pardon, citing sources including senior government officials.

Earlier this month, the Malaysian government launched a challenge to a Court of Appeal’s recent ruling regarding Najib's bid for house arrest.

The government filed a motion seeking permission to appeal to the Federal Court against the Court of Appeal’s move on Jan 6, 2025 to grant Najib leave to initiate judicial review proceedings to serve the remainder of his six-year sentence at home. 

The decision came after Najib’s lawyer produced a purported letter from the Pahang state palace confirming the existence of a royal decree issued by Sultan Abdullah allowing Najib to serve the rest of his jail sentence at home.

The royal addendum saga has roiled Malaysian political waters, sparking friction in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, which comprises four coalitions - including the one headed by United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).

Najib was the former president of UMNO. 

UMNO leaders aligned to Najib have called for the current king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar to grant the jailed politician - who is still facing other 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)-related corruption charges in the Malaysian courts - a full pardon. 

But the move has also rankled the unity government’s other partners who insist that Najib had received a fair trial before he was convicted.

In January, the Attorney-General’s Chambers had also sought a gag order to ban public discussion of Najib’s judicial review claim that the royal addendum decree existed.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who is also the Unity Government’s spokesperson, however denied that the gag order application was made at the request of the Malaysian Cabinet. 

Anwar had previously also said that the royal order was sent to the attorney-general and not to him nor any other member of the Pardons Board. 

Najib was found guilty in 2020 of criminal breach of trust and abuse of power for illegally receiving funds misappropriated from a unit of state investor 1MDB. 

Meanwhile on Thursday, Sultan Abdullah also urged the public to not let differences in opinions and minor interests divide society, Bernama reported.

“I wish to remind everyone to always think positively. Let us not be too quick to judge others or any situation with negativity,” he said. 

“All parties - the government, the opposition, and the people - must abandon the habit of spreading slander, sowing hatred and disseminating false information, as these will weaken unity and erode moral values in society.”