KUALA LUMPUR: The government should declassify minutes of the Pardons Board meeting to stop accusations that the former King's decree to place Datuk Seri Najib Razak under house arrest had been ignored.
A PKR leader Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said declassifying minutes of the meeting would also put an end to speculation and accusations against the government concerning the existence of an addendum from the meeting.
He said making public the minutes would also enable the public to fully understand what transpired during the Pardon Board's deliberations, including views expressed by the members and timeline of then King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah's decision.
Shamsul Iskandar, who is PKR International Bureau chief, said declassifying details of the meeting would also ensure transparency and prevent any manipulation of the issue by parties out for political gain.
"I am very disappointed with the Opposition's attempt to exploit this matter following the recent court decision. They have been going round accusing the prime minister of lying and all that.
"The only way to clear everything up is to declassify what happened at the Pardons Board meeting.
"Once it is made public we can hopefully put a stop to all the accusations and prevent any party from attempting to create a division between the government and the palace," he said.
Shamsul Iskandar was referring to the recent Court of Appeal decision where a three member panel allowed Najib to initiate a legal bid to fight his case that there was an addendum order issued by Al-Sultan Abdullah decreeing that he be allowed to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest.
The court, in a two to one majority decision, ordered the case to be remitted back to the High Court for hearing of Najib's arguments.
Following the decision, the Opposition has had a field day condemning the government by accusing it of concealing the addendum order.
This was despite the government clarifying numerous times that everything concerning the Pardon's Board decision had been carried out to the letter.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Monday reiterated that the ministry nor the Prisons Department which it oversees, received any addendum order related to the former prime minister.
He said the ministry and Prisons Department only executed the directive given to them in a letter following the Pardons Board meeting.
Shamsul Iskandar, who is also Senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, said while it was the prerogative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to grant pardons, due process must be followed.
He added Malaysia's current political situation remains a delicate balancing act between legal processes, public perception, and the role of the monarchy.
"I am confident that the Attorney General's office will thoroughly review the Court of Appeal's decision as it is within their jurisdiction to determine the next steps," he said, adding there remains another layer of legal recourse at the Federal Court level where the case would be adjudicated.
Najib, 71, has been imprisoned since Aug 23, 2022, after the Federal Court upheld his conviction for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International funds.
On Jan 29 last year, the Federal Territories Pardons Board, chaired by Al-Sultan Abdullah, halved Najib's 12-year jail sentence for abuse of power and criminal breach of trust in the SRC International case and reduced his RM210 million fine to RM50 million.
Najib later filed an application on an alleged addendum order signed by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The addendum purportedly allowed Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest. Previously, the High Court had dismissed his application.
Several affidavits were also filed in support of Najib's application, including those by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
On July 3, the High Court ruled that the affidavits were hearsay.