Ft Minister Not Law Minister Sits On Pardons Board Says Legal Affairs Division

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Azalina Othman Said is the law and institutional reform minister, while Dr Zaliha Mustafa is the federal territories minister, who serves as a member of the Federal Territories Pardons Board.
PETALING JAYA: The legal affairs division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister’s Department has clarified that only the federal territories (FT) minister serves as a member of the Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB).
The division said this is in line with Article 32(11) of the Federal Constitution, which establishes a unified pardons board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
It said Clauses 5 to 9 stipulate that the FT minister holds the responsibility that would typically belong to a menteri besar or chief minister.
“As such, the law and institutional reform minister does not serve on the FTPB nor engages in its affairs,” it said in a statement today.
“The BHEUU is tasked with coordinating FTPB meetings for Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.”
Azalina Othman Said is the law and institutional reform minister, while Dr Zaliha Mustafa is the FT minister.
The statement comes in response to Kota Bharu MP Takiyuddin Hassan who earlier today, in the Dewan Rakyat, asked Azalina to explain her remarks on her non-involvement in the purported “addendum” which many claim allows former prime minister Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his six-year jail term in the SRC International case under house arrest.
Takiyuddin alleged that Azalina had misled the Dewan Rakyat last week when she said she was not involved in the attorney-general’s appointment as well as the affairs of the FTPB.
The two had locked horns during a debate on the Supply Bill 2025 last week when Takiyuddin interrupted Azalina’s winding-up speech to question the existence of the “addendum”.
He said Azalina, as the minister in charge of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, should have been aware that the AG is part of the FTPB, which decided on Najib’s royal pardon application.
Azalina fired back, saying that Takiyuddin was a law minister during Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration and should be “smarter than to assume” that the AG reports to her. - FMT

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