Agc Dr M Was At The Meeting With King To Pardon Anwar In 2018

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The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has pointed out that Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in his capacity as prime minister, was present during a 2018 Pardons Board meeting to grant Anwar Ibrahim a royal pardon.
ADSThe clarification came after a video emerged of the soon-to-be centenarian claiming that no meeting was held over the matter, bringing into question the legitimacy of the pardon decision.
In a statement today, the AGC said that the 51st meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya took place on May 16, 2018, at the National Palace.
The then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V chaired the meeting, with Mahathir in attendance.
“Based on the advice of the Pardons Board, the Agong decreed to grant a full pardon to Anwar, with immediate release effective from the date of the meeting,” the statement read.
It added that the AGC had also submitted written advice in accordance with Article 42(9) of the Federal Constitution for the board’s consideration.
Anwar was subsequently released from Ward 2C of the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment, after serving more than three years of a five-year sentence for sodomy.
Anwar Ibrahim upon his release from prison in 2018In the video shared by Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz on Sunday, Mahathir alleged that he was only presented with a letter signed by the Agong to authorise Anwar’s release.
“We had made a promise in Pakatan Harapan - if we became the government, we would free Anwar. That was our agreement; he was the leader of PKR.
“So when we won and I became prime minister, suddenly that letter was given to me asking for my signature,” Mahathir said.
Mahathir admitted that he did not seek legal advice at the time, noting that then attorney-general Apandi Ali was on leave, and his replacement, Tommy Thomas, had yet to be appointed.
“So when I received the letter - it was signed by the Agong - I was instructed to sign it. I read through it - oh, this was to pardon Anwar. Since we had made that promise, I signed it,” he said.
‘Lawyers say Anwar’s pardon invalid’
ADSIn the same video, Mahathir claimed that lawyers questioning the legality of his action recently approached him.
“Now there are people saying I did something wrong. And I asked, why is it wrong? They said that to grant someone a pardon, there must be a meeting of the Pardons Board. But no such meeting was held.
“It was just the Agong saying he wanted to grant a pardon. The Constitution says the Agong doesn’t have that power.
“That’s why this has become a problem now. Some lawyers are saying the pardon given to Anwar was invalid,” he claimed.
Tun Faisal, in his Facebook post, echoed Mahathir’s remarks, questioning the legitimacy of Anwar’s appointment as the 10th prime minister. - Mkini

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