Kaula Lumpur: On Tuesday, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declined to address questions regarding the alleged existence of a royal decree that could allow imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve his sentence at home.

Najib, who served as Prime Minister from 2009 to 2018, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August 2022 after Malaysia's highest court upheld his conviction in a corruption case tied to the 1MDB scandal. However, the sentence was reduced by half this year following a decision by the pardons board, chaired by former King Al-Sultan Abdullah, shortly before the end of his reign in January. Malaysia’s monarchy rotates every five years among the country's nine sultans.

Since April, Najib has been seeking to force the government to confirm and enforce an "addendum order" that he claims was issued by the former king along with the pardons board’s decision, allowing him to complete his sentence at home. The former king has not publicly addressed the matter.

Prime Minister Anwar stated in parliament that he could not respond to lawmakers' questions about the decree due to parliamentary rules governing ongoing court cases. He acknowledged submitting Najib's pardon request to the king, affirming that the former prime minister had the right to be heard, but emphasized that he had not been present when the pardons board decided to reduce Najib’s sentence.

The prime minister and the king both sit on the board, though the prime minister can be represented by the federal territories minister. Anwar noted that until the court case is resolved or the king decides otherwise, the matter could not be discussed, adding that he had referred the issue to the current king, Sultan Ibrahim, for further consideration.

Malaysia's Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear Najib's request on January 6, following a previous rejection by a lower tribunal in July. Last week, Najib's son filed an affidavit affirming that he had received a copy of the alleged addendum from the former king's royal household, though his lawyers have not disclosed its contents.