COMMUNICATIONS and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil has stressed that details of Cabinet discussions cannot be revealed to the public.
The Lembah Pantai MP said this when asked if the Cabinet has discussed issues concerning the Pardons Board which is in charge of reviewing the application of incarcerated former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Declining to comment in length on Najib’s pardon process, Fahmi instead said that issues raised or not during Cabinet meetings are considered “secret and confidential information”.
“[If asked to comment on the matters that were discussed] I can neither confirm nor deny,” he said briefly when quizzed by reporters at an event in Seri Kembangan today (April 14).
Fahmi further noted that he is not privy to details about when the Pardons Board will be convening to discuss Najib’s pardon bid.
“As of now, I have not been informed of a date when the board will be meeting. Until I have that information, I cannot comment on this matter,” he said this when asked if the board had set a date to review Najib’s application.
Recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasised that there was no conflict of interest in his involvement in the former UMNO president’s pardoning process.
He made clear that this is because the hearing for pardon applications must follow due process, with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong having the final say.
According to Article 42(5) of the Federal Constitution, a Pardons Board for each state, as well as the federal territories, shall be composed of the attorney-general, the chief minister or minister in charge of the federal territories, and no more than three other members appointed by the ruler.
Previously, the UMNO Supreme Council had previously stated its intent to submit an appeal to the Agong urging for Najib to be granted a full pardon.
This came after the Supreme Court unanimously turned down Najib’s review application to overturn a Federal Court ruling last year that upheld his guilty verdict alongside his 12-year prison sentence and RM210 mil fine in his SRC International Sdn Bhd case. – April 14, 2023
Main pic credit: Parti Keadilan Rakyat
