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THE Attorney General's Chambers has denied former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's claim that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s pardon in 2018 was invalid.
The department stressed that the 51st Pardon Board Meeting for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 11.00 am, at Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur.
"The Pardon Board Meeting was chaired by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong XV Sultan Muhammad V and was also attended by YAB Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself as the Prime Minister at the time," it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The AGC also informed that the Pardon Board at that time had advised His Majesty to grant Anwar's appeal for a full pardon, thus allowing him to be released immediately from the date of the meeting.
"Upon the advice of the Pardons Board, His Majesty Sultan Muhammad V consented to the full pardon for Anwar and ordered his immediate release," the statement continued.
The AGC also noted that the then-Attorney General had provided a written opinion for the Board’s consideration, as stipulated under Clause (9), Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.
This clarification comes in response to allegations made by Dr Mahathir in a recent TikTok video, in which he questioned the legitimacy of the pardon process.
He claimed that he had signed the pardon letter without the advice of then-Attorney General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali—who was reportedly on garden leave at the time—and that no Pardons Board meeting had taken place.
"The AGC takes this matter seriously as it concerns constitutional integrity and institutional processes," the statement read.
"The AGC emphasises that any public statements which could mislead the public on the decisions of the Pardons Board are wholly inappropriate." - June 3, 2025