Pahang palace confirms royal decree to let Najib go home, plunging Anwar into greater dilemma

A letter from the Pahang state palace confirming that Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had during his reign as the Agong ordered Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest was read out in the Court of Appeal today, in what is a boon to the former prime minister's case as the government disputes the existence of an addendum to the partial pardon granted to the jailed leader.

The letter from the Pahang Sultanate Council, dated Jan 4, was addressed to Najib's son Mohamad Nizar and signed by the Comptroller of the Royal Household of the Sultan of Pahang, Ahmad Khirrizal Ab Rahman.

"By this letter, I certify on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan of Pahang as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong that the addendum of His Majesty the Sultan of Pahang exists and is valid," reads a copy of the letter that has been doing the rounds on social media.

The letter was released a day after Istana Negara declared that only the Pardons Board chaired by the Agong can decide whether to pardon or reduce a prisoner's sentence.

According to the constitution, the Agong decides on pardons for prisoners on the advice of the Pardons Board, which includes the attorney-general and the federal territories minister.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has repeatedly brushed aside claims about the existence of the addendum, and said the matter would only be decided by the court, which is seen as an attempt to distance himself from any decision on the matter.

However, the palace's statement indicates that the Pardons Board will now have to decide Najib's future if the appeal court rules that the addendum was valid.

"Anwar appears to be cornered and this could be a crossroads in his struggle to stay in power and risk a public backlash by appeasing Umno, which has insisted on Najib's freedom in return for its continued support," said a PKR source.

Nizar's affidavit last month, in which he said he had been personally informed that Sultan Abdullah had ordered that his father be allowed to serve the remainder of his shortened sentence at home, is at the centre of today's appeal.

Last year, the High Court ruled that claims on the existence of the decree, which was contained in an addendum to Najib's pardon by the former Agong, were hearsay.

Since Najib began his prison sentence on Aug 23, 2022, Umno leaders have been lobbying for a royal pardon like the one granted to Anwar, which allowed the PKR leader's release from prison in 2018, where he had been serving time for sodomy, and lifted his ban from active politics.

Calls for a royal pardon grew after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi brought his Umno MPs to join forces with PH, as Najib loyalists - who still hold great influence in the party - felt that Anwar should reward Umno for supporting PH and enabling him to fulfil his prime ministerial ambitions.

Najib was fined RM210 million and sentenced to 12 years in jail for criminal breach of trust, power abuse and money laundering over charges of embezzling RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

After months of speculation and pressure on the government, the Pardons Board announced that Najib's prison sentence would be reduced to six years and his fine to RM50 million which, if paid,would get him another year off.

Not long after, his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah accused the government of concealing the addendum.

"Why did they conceal the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's order when you (were) authorised to expose it? They should expose and enforce it,” he had said.