Will Najib Get Special Treatment In Prison? Bersih Sets Up Petition For Agong To Deny Royal Pardon

By Quinny Tan  •  24 Aug 2022 in News

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It was just yesterday when the former Prime Minister Najib Razak was pronounced guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison with a fine of RM210 million. He was convicted on one count of abuse of power, three counts of criminal breach of trust, and three counts of money laundering.

Social media since then has been filled with news of his imprisonment and even videos of him being driven to Kajang Prison.

But what do we think will actually happen once he’s in his cell? The privilege a VIP gets behind bars is merely a secret kept behind glass doors.

As Malay Mail once reported in 1989, Abdullah Ang was allowed to commute regularly between jail and the city, and had other benefits during his sentence. He was a former politician who served as chairman and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) in the 1940s.

He pleaded guilty to criminal breach of trust and was sentenced to 8 years in jail by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 1986.

Abdullah Ang, Super VVIP prisoner. @malaymail broke the story 19th August 1989.

His room was equipped with refrigerator, carpet, video player and waterbed!

Abdullah could also enter and exit the Kajang Prison as if he owned that place.#MalaysiaBoleh pic.twitter.com/p4GgJt1DUl

— Dick (@Dick_Lopez77) August 24, 2022

According to FMT, Abdullah was spotted at his family’s factory several days before his release, and that he would be having lunch and tea with “tycoon-type-men” in their cars. Not to mention, having packed food to be taken back into Kajang Prison.

Following this, people have been suspecting that Najib would also receive the same special treatment. Police and authorities urged the public to “stop spreading fake news,” in reference to a Facebook post that went viral about Najib’s alleged jail cell, which contained a picture of a clean and spacious room with proper furniture.

The Kajang Prison Department told FMT that all prisoners will be treated the same, even if said prisoner was the former Prime Minister.

In terms of how much time he will actually serve, Malay Mail earlier today released a report saying that Najib can seek a royal pardon, but he would have to serve considerable time prior to that.

Former attorney-general (AG) Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman said that Datuk Harun Idris and Datuk Mokhtar Hashim were both granted a pardon only after they had served a considerable time of their sentence.

According to The Star, if Najib fails to apply for a royal pardon within 14 days, he stands to lose his seat. “If no application for pardon is received within the period, Najib will automatically cease to be an MP.”

Meanwhile, Bersih launched an online petition requesting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to deny Najib the royal pardon.

It has since garnered over 10,000 signatures, out of their 15,000 goal.

 

Youngsters don’t know the significance of this photomosaic. Let’s decipher. pic.twitter.com/vSVEbz6HzA

— FreeMalaysian (@FreeMsian) August 24, 2022

While Najib’s imprisonment is currently the focus on social media, some have also shared about murder cases in the past that are allegedly link to the former PM.