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.

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       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 Ra-zak,” 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