Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the conditional pardon granted to former prime minister Najib Razak would not affect the government’s commitment to fighting corruption and abuse of power.
Anwar said the rule of law remained intact and that all corruption cases, including ongoing cases involving the former prime minister, must continue according to the law.
“Ultimately, the Constitution provides for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s absolute powers, and I hope we will accept the decision positively,” he said after Friday prayers in Putrajaya, according to Berita Harian.
Government commitment to rule of law unchanged
Anwar stressed that the government’s position on corruption remained unchanged following the decision to grant Najib a conditional pardon.
“Beyond that, I want to stress that the rule of law remains intact and our decision to take action against all corruption remains unchanged,” he said.
He added that the decision did not mean the country should “bow to embezzlement and corruption”.
The comments came after Najib was granted a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his current prison sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028.
Najib’s conditional pardon
The Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department said the conditional pardon was granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, following the 64th meeting of the Federal Territories Pardons Board at Istana Negara today.
The order is subject to Najib paying a RM50 million fine and complying with the conditions imposed. Failure to comply with any of the conditions would result in the conditional pardon being revoked, requiring him to serve the remainder of his sentence in prison.
Najib, 73, has been serving his sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022, after the Federal Court upheld his conviction in the SRC International case.
The Pardons Board reduced his original 12-year sentence to six years and lowered the fine from RM210 million to RM50 million at its 61st meeting on Jan 29, 2024.
Separate 1MDB case remains at appeal stage
Najib was also sentenced by the High Court on Dec 26, 2025, to 15 years in prison and fined RM11.4 billion after being found guilty of four charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering involving RM2.3 billion linked to 1MDB.
He filed an appeal against that decision on Dec 29, 2025. The case remains at the appeal stage.
