Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir believes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his government must accept responsibility for the Pardons Board's decision to decrease Datuk Seri Najib Razak's prison sentence, according to The Star.
The president of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air questioned the decision's justification, given that the former prime minister still had other matters pending in court.
Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir was startled to learn that the Pardon Board had lowered Datuk Seri Najib Razak's prison sentence from 12 to six years, as well as the punishment from RM210 million to an undisclosed amount.
If true, said its President, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, the decision will tremendously disappoint the millions of people who were resolved to destabilize the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration led by Najib in 2018 owing to irregularities, abuse of power, and corruption.
"During the trial, Najib made no admission of guilt or regret for what he had done, nor did he apologize to the people. Therefore, how can the Board of Pardons (based on the government's proposal) consider reducing Najib's sentence? I also don't understand Anwar's excuse that it was entirely the Pardons Board's decision on the matter," said Mukhriz.
"If we look at it closely, the decision made by the Pardon's Board benefits the government led by Anwar in return for the support of Barisan Nasional," Mukhriz went on to say.
According to Harian Metro, the Pardons Board stated that Najib's prison sentence would be lowered from 12 years to six and his punishment from RM210 million to RM50 million.
Najib, 70, has been serving a jail sentence at Kajang Prison since August 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds. He filed a petition for a royal pardon on September 2, 2022.
On July 28, 2020, the High Court sentenced Najib to 12 years in prison and an RM210 million fine after convicting him of three charges of criminal breach of trust and one count of abusing his authority.
The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal against his conviction and sentence in 2021, and the Federal Court did the same on August 23, the following year, leaving just a royal pardon as his last chance for freedom.
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