Najib’s prison sentence reduced

Pardons Board agrees to cut ex-PM’s jail term by half, out by Aug 23, 2028 if RM50 mln fine settled

Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 12-year jail term has been halved to six years, which means he can be released earlier on Aug 23, 2028, the Federal Territories Pardons Board said yesterday.

The Pardons Board said it had also decided to reduce his RM210 million fine to RM50 million, and his early release would be contingent on him paying this amount.

If he failed to do so, his early release date would be a year later, on Aug 23, 2029.

The announcement, released around 3.30pm, ended more than three days of suspense and intense speculation over the Pardons Board’s decision on Najib’s bid.

Najib has been imprisoned since Aug 23, 2022, a er the Federal Court upheld his conviction for criminal breach of trust, power abuse, and money laundering over the misappropriation of SRC International Sdn Bhd’s RM42 million.

He has been a prisoner for more than one year and five months now, since August 2022, and his 12-year jail term was initially due to end in 2034.

Lawyers had previously said that Najib would only need to serve two-thirds of his prison term if he showed good behaviour as a prisoner.

Based on the typical one-third remission or reduction on jail terms for prisoners with good behaviour, Najib’s release date could for example be as early as August 2026, without considering the one-year extension if he failed to pay the RM50 million fine.

Najib filed his application for

Therefore, it was agreed for Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak to be released on an early release date namely Aug 23, 2028, and the fine that has to be paid namely RM210,000,000 be reduced to RM50,000,000.

Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division on behalf of Federal Territories Pardons Board

a pardon on Sept 2, 2022, just days a er he started serving his 12-year jail term at the Kajang prison.

In the official statement yesterday on behalf of the Federal Territories Pardons Board, the Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division, as the board’s secretariat, said this decision was made following the Jan 29 meeting of the Pardons Board for the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.

It said the Pardons Board meeting, which was chaired by then-Yang di-Pertuan Agong AlSultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, had considered five pardons application including the one from Najib.

The Pardons Board secretariat said the decision – to give a 50 per cent reduction on Najib’s jail term and to reduce the amount of money he had to pay as fine – was made a er the Pardons Board considered advice and opinions.

“Therefore, it was agreed for Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak to be released on an early release date namely Aug 23, 2028, and the fine that has to be paid namely RM210,000,000 be reduced to RM50,000,000,” it said, adding that his alreadyreduced jail term would be extended by one year if he did not pay the fine and that this release date would then be on Aug 23, 2029.

Under the Federal Constitution, the Agong chairs the meetings of the Pardons Board for the federal territories, which comprises the a orney general, the Federal Territories minister, and a maximum of three other members appointed by the Agong. — Malay Mail