Malaysian ex-PM Najib’s jail term halved to six years

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia´s pardons board said on Friday it had halved the jail term for former prime minister Najib Razak, currently in prison for corruption, to six years.

Najib was sentenced in 2022 to 12 years in jail for offences linked to the misuse of public money in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal.

“After considering opinions and advice... the pardon board has decided to grant a 50 percent reduction for the sentence and fine imposed on Najib Razak,” it said in a statement.

The board, which was chaired by Malaysia´s former king Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and also included the attorney general, met on Monday - two days before the king handed the rotational throne to a successor.

The board did not give any other reasons for its decision.

It also said Najib would be released in 2028 and his fine reduced to 50 million ringgit ($10.6 million).

An additional year would be added to his jail term if he failed to pay the fine, the board said.

Najib´s lawyers and government officials could not be reached for comment.

James Chin, professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia, said the sentence reduction could damage Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim´s reform credentials after he campaigned on eradicating corruption during the 2022 election.

“The cut in Najib´s jail sentence reminds us that there are two rules in Malaysia -- one for the powerful elite and one for the normal people,” Chin said.