![[UPDATED] Anwar: Let Najib's legal process run its course](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FHQ200625ES006_1752216544.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
[UPDATED] Anwar: Let Najib's legal process run its course
He said the legal process must be allowed to proceed without interference, and that differing opinions should be expressed within the bounds of the law.
"There is no issue with the ongoing court proceedings.
"Everyone is entitled to their views, and we respect that. But let the process unfold properly," he told reporters today.
He was responding to calls from Umno urging the government to enforce a royal addendum which allegedly allows the former prime minister to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki had issued a statement appealing for mercy and calling for house arrest, citing Article 42(1) of the Federal Constitution, which confers the King the power to grant pardons and reprieves.
The article gives the King the constitutional power to pardon or reduce sentences for offences under federal jurisdiction and in court-martial cases.
Asyraf said Umno hoped that Najib would finally be granted this, based on a decree issued over a year ago.
On Feb 2, 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board halved Najib's sentence to six years for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International, meaning he could be released as early as Aug 23, 2028.
It was later revealed that the previous Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who chaired the Pardons Board at the time, had also issued the royal addendum allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
The Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC) this week confirmed in court the existence of the royal addendum during its appeal against a judicial review application filed by Najib.
Anwar, however, maintained that matters related to the judiciary must remain free from executive interference.
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