PUTRAJAYA: Umno will continue to seek a full royal pardon for Datuk Seri Najib Razak, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Umno president said this was to fulfil the wishes of the former prime minister and his family.
However, the effort would be made with full respect towards His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia.
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“We are in the process of fulfilling Najib and his family’s request to seek full pardon and it is only right that when we do it, we extend our full respect to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“This is because His Majesty has the power as enshrined in the Federal Constitution,” he said after attending the Rural and Regional Development Ministry monthly gathering on Thursday (Feb 8).
On Wednesday (Feb 7), Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the former prime minister would be submitting a new application for a full royal pardon, adding that the defence team was waiting for the right time to make the submission.
ALSO READ: Pardons Board decision on Najib hits Umno hard
“The reason we want to make another request... is because we don’t think that the Pardons Board operated in a way the Federal Constitution expected them to,” he said.
On Feb 2, the Federal Territories Pardons Board halved Najib's 12-year jail term to six years and reduced his fine from RM210mil to RM50mil.