Earlier today, Utusan Malaysia issued an apology over an article which claimed that former prime minister Najib Razak had been granted a royal pardon.

The news outlet quoted sources as saying that the Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB) had decided yesterday to pardon Najib, who has been jailed since 2022.

The article, which was rewritten by several other news outlets, was later retracted as Utusan said “the facts cannot be verified”.

“Upon checking, the Pardons Board (FTPB) did not release an official statement,” said Fahmi.

“Therefore, media outlets need to be more cautious when reporting,” added the communications minister.

Fahmi said the media should wait for an official statement from the FTPB and should not quote sources over the matter.

Earlier, federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the FTPB will issue a statement following its meeting at Istana Negara yesterday.

Zaliha confirmed attending the board’s meeting but did not disclose if they had discussed Najib’s application.

This came after a report by The Edge that the board’s decision on Najib’s application for a royal pardon would be revealed today.

Najib began his 12-year prison term on Aug 23, 2022, following the Federal Court’s dismissal of his final appeal in the SRC International case.

His lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, previously said the petition for pardon was first submitted in September 2022, and that addendums to the application were filed in October that year and in April 2023.

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