Pardon for Najib not up to govt or Umno, says Ismail

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said that the government and Umno are consistent in not interfering in court matters, including on the issue of a royal pardon for former leader Najib Razak as raised by certain parties. 

Ismail said a pardon for someone who has been convicted in court is up to the judicial review and the Pardons Board.

"The pardon for Najib is not up to the government or Umno (to decide)... it depends on the judicial review and the decision of the Pardons Board chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

Ismail, an Umno vice-president, was responding to a political analyst’s tweet claiming that Najib would be given a full pardon if Barisan Nasional succeeded in forming the new government after the 15th general election.