PETALING JAYA: Umno youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh should retract statements questioning Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s royal pardon in 2018, says Adam Adli Abd Halim.
The PKR Youth chief said that pardons are not given arbitrarily due to political pressure but follow mechanisms set by law and the Federal Constitution.
"Let us not dispute the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's pardon jurisdiction to the point of tarnishing the view of the institution's nobility," said Adam Adli
"If Muhamad Akmal is not careful, the statement will not only be a political attack but can also be considered disrespectful to the royal institution and the law," he added in a statement on Sunday (Dec 29).
He also asked Dr Muhamad Akmal to be more cautious when commenting on the matter, noting that the Court of Appeal struck down a suit challenging Anwar’s pardon in 2021.
Adam Adli then said that Dr Muhamad Akmal can fact-check the matter by searching on Google, as it was widely reported.
Anwar received a full pardon from the King three years after beginning to serve his prison sentence.
The pardon was granted a few days after Pakatan Harapan won the 14th General Election.
Last year, the Federal Court also dismissed a suit challenging the legality of Anwar’s pardon, holding that the courts cannot tamper with the decision by the Royal institution.
On Saturday (Dec 28), Dr Muhammad Akmal had asked if Anwar’s pardon had gone through the Federal Territories Pardons Board.
This was in response to a recent statement by the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC), which said that all applications from prisoners for pardon and house arrest must be submitted to the Pardons Board, chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
