Defying royal decree? Malaysian king warns against house arrest order delay for PM Najib

Transfer delayed after court ruling

Authorities delayed Najib Razak’s transfer from jail after a court cleared him for house arrest on Friday. The attorney general postponed the move. The king issued his warning on Saturday, a day after the delay. He said there was nothing to clarify about his order.

Conditional pardon and fine

Sultan Ibrahim granted Najib a conditional pardon in September. It allowed the former prime minister to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, provided he paid a $12m fine.

The king described the pardon as “clear, evident and without any ambiguity,” according to Sultan Ibrahim. He said the conditions in the order had been fulfilled.

Lawyer calls for immediate transfer

A statement from the attorney general’s office said the postponement was intended to avoid conflict between orders in force and to ensure no sentence was imposed unlawfully. It said the step was not intended to delay or deny the conditional pardon.

The king’s constitutional authority

Malaysia’s king is chosen in rotation from among the country’s nine regional sultans and holds a largely ceremonial role. The constitution gives the monarch discretionary powers to grant pardons. Sultan Ibrahim said that questioning the order, after its conditions were met, would lead toward denying the king’s decree.