Key facts
- Members of Malaysia's pardons board were seen at the royal palace on Friday.
- The meeting is speculated to be about jailed ex-premier Najib Razak's bid for clemency.
- Najib Razak, former prime minister from 2009-2018, has been in prison since 2022.
- He is seeking a new royal pardon over his conviction related to the 1MDB scandal.
- In 2024, the pardons board halved Najib's initial 12-year jail sentence and reduced his fines.
- Najib was sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison in December for abuse of power and money laundering.
Members of Malaysia's pardons board were observed at the royal palace on Friday, fueling speculation that a meeting was held to discuss a clemency bid from jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak. Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh, a board member, was seen arriving at the palace, with an aide confirming her presence.
Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, has been imprisoned since 2022. He is seeking a new royal pardon related to his conviction concerning a scandal at 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund he co-founded. Last week, King Sultan Ibrahim postponed a decision on Najib's clemency request, decreeing a delay until the next board meeting.
Media outlets also reported the attorney-general, another board member, was seen at the palace. More than $1 billion from 1MDB allegedly ended up in accounts linked to Najib, who has denied the allegations. In 2024, the pardons board, under the previous king, reduced Najib's initial 12-year jail sentence and fines. He was later sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison and fined $2.8 billion for abuse of power and money laundering in a separate 1MDB-related case, for which he has lodged an appeal.