KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s pardons board said on Friday it had halved the jail term for former premier Najib Razak, currently in prison for corruption, to six years.

Najib was sentenced in 2022 to 12 years in jail for offences linked to the misuse of public money in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal.

“After considering opinions and advice… the pardon board has decided to grant a 50 per cent reduction for the sentence and fine imposed on Najib Ra­zak,” it said in a statement.

The board, which was chaired by Malaysia’s former king Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and also included the attorney general, met on Monday — two days before the king handed the rotational throne to a successor.

The board did not give any other reasons for its decision. It also said Najib would be released in 2028 and his fine reduced to 50 million ringgits ($10.6m).

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2024