KEPONG MP Lim Lip Eng’s inquiry regarding lawyer Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah’s disclosure of information attributed to the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah concerning former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s pardon application has been rejected.
In a letter obtained by news portal Free Malaysia Today, Dewan Rakyat secretary Dr Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin cited the rejection on the grounds that the information sought was classified, thus contravening Standing Order 23(1)(f).
The letter dated Feb 23, also referenced Standing Order 23(1)(h), which prohibits questions seeking “an expression of opinion, the solution of an abstract legal case, or (an) answer to a hypothetical proposition”.
Moreover, Nizam conveyed the response on behalf of Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
Shafee recently asserted that documents pertaining to the Federal Territories Pardons Board’s decision to reduce Najib’s prison sentence and fine were not confidential. He clarified that he had only displayed a letter dated Feb 7, bearing the seal of the previous King, as he lacked his client’s consent to reveal the contents of the documents.
On Feb 2, the Pardons Board halved Najib’s 12-year prison term to six years for misappropriating RM42 mil from SRC International funds. The board also reduced his initial fine from RM210 mil to RM50 mil, recommending that Najib serve the remaining sentence, as per excerpts from the letter Shafee disclosed during a press conference.
Furthermore, Lim called on the Pardons Board to elucidate whether Shafee’s actions constituted a breach of the law by disclosing the internal deliberations behind the decision. – Feb 28, 2024
Main photo credit: Astro Awani
