Malaysian palace says clemency bids must go to pardons board

On Monday, the Court of Appeal will hear a bid by jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to overturn a lower court decision last July that struck out his request to confirm the existence of and execute a royal order entitling him to house arrest.

Najib is serving a six-year jail sentence for corruption linked to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal. His initial sentence was halved by the pardons board last February.

Under the constitution, the king has the prerogative to grant pardons, remit, suspend or commute sentences, the palace said in its statement.

"Applications for pardons or the commutation of sentences shall be submitted by the prisoner concerned to the pardons board chaired by the king for consideration at its next meeting," it said.

In a similar statement on Dec. 28, the attorney-general's office said all petitions for prisoners in Malaysia to serve their sentences under house arrest, including for Najib, had to be submitted to the pardons board.

The palace did not name any prisoners in its statement.