Najib Razak, erstwhile prime minister of Malaysia and convicted criminal, is planning to apply for a full pardon.

This comes after he received a reduction of his sentence from the Malaysian pardons board for both his jail term and fine.

"Seriously thinking" about it

On Feb. 7, Najib's lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said at a press conference that Najib is "seriously thinking" about making another application for a royal pardon.

According to Malaysiakini, Shafee claimed Najib "did not get a fair trial" for the SRC International case, for which he was sentenced to 12 years in jail and a fine of RM 210 million (about S$65 million then).

Shafee alleged that this was due to the court supposedly not allowing Najib's legal team to adjourn the hearing to prepare for appeal proceedings.

He also alleged inconsistencies in the pardons board's process.

As a result, Najib's team is thinking of applying for a full royal pardon.

If he does make another application, it will be at the discretion of the new Agong, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor.

Najib feels he should not spend "even a single day" in prison

In response to a question about Najib's feelings towards the board's decision to reduce his sentence and fine, Shafee said Najib is "disappointed" as he maintains he is innocent and should not spend even a single day in prison.

This is in line with what Najib's family said after the news of his sentence reduction broke.

Najib's jail term was reduced from 12 to six years, and his fine was also reduced from RM210 million (S$59.3 million) to RM50 million (S$14 million). If he fails to pay the fine, he will receive an extra year in jail.

However, in an Instagram post, Najib's daughter said that the family was still disappointed that Najib was not granted full amnesty and immediately released.

Related story:

Top images via Wikimedia Images and Astro AWANI/YouTube