Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

Jailed Malaysia's ex-PM Najib petitions king for pardon

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, gets into a car after his court appearance at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, gets into a car after his court appearance at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Share
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -

Jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak has sought a pardon from Malaysia's king and will remain a lawmaker pending his petition, Parliament's speaker said Monday.

Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun said the pardon request was submitted Sept. 2, less than two weeks after Najib began a 12-year prison term after losing his final appeal on Aug. 23 in a graft case linked to the looting of the 1MDB state fund.

Azhar said Najib's parliamentary seat will not be vacated until King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah decides on his pardon request. It is unclear how long the process will take. If he isn't pardoned before September 2023, when general elections are due, Najib, 69, cannot run in the polls and will automatically lose his parliamentary seat.

Local media cited Najib's aide as saying he was reportedly admitted to a hospital on Sunday but the cause of his ailment is unclear. The Prison Department could not be immediately reached for comment.

Najib's bid for pardon will not affect his four other criminal trials over the 1MDB scandal. His wife, Rosmah Mansor, was last week sentenced to 10 year in prison and a record 970 million ringgit ($216 million) fine for corruption over a solar energy project.

Najib and Rosmah have been hit with multiple graft charges after the shocking ouster of his United Malays National Organization in the 2018 elections, fueled by public anger over the 1MDB scandal. UMNO has since returned to power after defections caused the collapse of the reformist government that won the 2018 polls.

1MDB was a development fund that Najib set up after taking office. Investigators allege more than $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib's associates through layers of bank accounts in the U.S. and other countries to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, art works and jewelry.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.