A-GC: Anwar's royal pardon followed proper constitutional process
KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC) has refuted claims by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the royal pardon granted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 2018 was invalid.
In a statement today, the A-GC said it took serious note of Dr Mahathir's remarks, in which the former prime minister alleged that the pardon did not go through the proper process, namely a meeting of the Pardons Board.
"The A-GC emphasises that the 51st Meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 11am at Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur.
"The meeting was chaired by the 15th king of Malaysia, Sultan Muhammad V, and attended by Dr Mahathir himself in his capacity as prime minister at the time."
As such, the A-GC said, based on the advice of the Pardons Board, His Majesty consented to grant a full royal pardon to Anwar and ordered his immediate release, effective from the date of the board meeting.
It also said that the then attorney-general had provided a written legal opinion for the board's consideration in accordance with Clause (9), Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.
"The A-GC views this matter seriously as it involves constitutional and institutional interests. Any statement that may mislead the public regarding the Pardons Board's decision is wholly inappropriate," it said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Dr M's new Malay platform key to uniting divided community, says Tuan Ibrahim
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said all Malay-based parties must come under a single, broad coalition as a platform to safeguard the community's future. PETALING JAYA : PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has defended Dr Mahathir Mohamad's new platform to unite the Malays, saying the proliferation of political parties is one of the main reasons behind disunity within the community. He said the democratic system had allowed the formation of many political parties and, therefore, a grand alliance involving intellectuals, corporate figures, politicians and religious scholars was needed to unite the Malays. 'All segments must support this new platform. The proliferation of Malay-dominated parties is seen as a cause of division, and this is difficult to control because democracy allows it.' He said all Malay-based parties must come under a single, broad coalition as a platform to safeguard the community's future. When asked if this movement was a better platform to unite Malays compared to Perikatan Nasional (PN), he responded: 'PN is a coalition of political parties. It's different from this new platform.' The grouping announced by the former prime minister yesterday goes beyond existing political parties, he added. Earlier today, Kedah Umno information chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said Mahathir's new platform is nothing more than part of a repeated cycle of failed political experiments. He said Malay politics cannot be built on nostalgic rhetoric and repeated attempts to form new, loosely structured coalitions without a clear struggle or foundation. Besides Tuan Ibrahim, PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin and Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin were also present at Mahathir's announcement for the new grouping yesterday. Mahathir said the formation of the new Malay alliance is aimed at 'restoring Malay power' in government. He said the coalition, which includes PAS and Bersatu, is not a formal political party for now but serves as an umbrella platform to protect the political and economic future of the Malay community. He also invited individual Umno members to join the coalition — but not the party as a whole. This marks Mahathir's latest effort to unite the Malays through a political platform, following previous initiatives such as Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) and Pejuang, ahead of the 15th general election (GE15). However, all candidates linked to GTA were defeated in GE15, including Mahathir himself, who lost his deposit and failed to retain his Langkawi seat. GTA, launched in 2022, was effectively dissolved a year later when Mahathir, its chairman, admitted the movement was not effective at gaining voter support.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Umno remembers attempted ban, rejects Dr M's invitation, says Dr Akmal
SHAH ALAM: Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh says Umno will not forget the historical attempt to ban the party by an individual who now invites Umno members to join a new movement, Sinar Harian reports. The Malay language daily reported that the Umno Youth chief was referring to the invitation from former prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who urged Umno members to join the Malay Secretariat, a new political coalition purportedly established to champion the restoration of Malay political power. "Thank you, Tun (Dr M), we appreciate the invitation. But we still remember what happened. The same person also wanted to ban Umno when they were in power," he said Thursday (June 5). Dr Muhamad Akmal also told Sinar Harian that if the agenda of uniting the Malays is indeed a priority, it should be born out of sincerity for the sake of religion and race, not motivated by position or status. "If there is a genuine desire to unite the race, let it come from a sincere heart out of love for religion and race, not merely to secure positions for oneself," he said. Dr Mahathir had previously said that he was not inviting Umno as a party but welcomed any Umno members willing to join the Malay Secretariat. According to Dr Mahathir, the Secretariat aims to restore the political dominance of Malays in the government, which he described as increasingly weak.
Daily Express
5 hours ago
- Daily Express
PM files appeal notice against decision on legal questions referral
Published on: Thursday, June 05, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 05, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ( pic ) has filed a notice of appeal against the High Court's decision to dismiss his application to refer eight legal questions to the Federal Court, including whether a sitting Prime Minister enjoys immunity from civil lawsuits. Anwar's lawyer, Datuk Seri K. Rajasegaran, when contacted, confirmed the filing of the notice by Messrs Zain Megat & Murad. Advertisement 'The notice of appeal was filed immediately after the proceedings ended yesterday. We hope to secure a hearing date before June 16,' he said. Yesterday, High Court judge Roz Mawar Rozain dismissed Anwar's bid to refer the eight legal questions after finding that none of the articles of a Federal Constitution (FC) cited by Anwar's legal team give rise to any real, substantial or justiciable question of constitutional law requiring determination by the Federal Court under Article 128(2) of the FC or Section 84 of Courts of Judicature Act 1964. On May 23, the Prime Minister filed the application to refer the eight legal questions, which also include whether, under Articles 39, 40 and 43 of the Federal Constitution, a sitting Prime Minister enjoys limited immunity from lawsuits concerning allegations of personal conduct that occurred before his appointment. The legal questions relate to a lawsuit filed by Anwar's former research assistant, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, concerning an alleged sexual assault seven years ago. However, the Attorney General's Chambers on Jan 14, 2020, announced that it would not pursue the matter further, citing insufficient evidence and contradictions of material facts that could not support the prosecution of any person under Section 354 of the Penal Code. The High Court, which is hearing the lawsuit, had earlier set the hearing dates from June 16 to 19, and from June 23 to 25. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
