Jailed Malaysia’s ex-PM Najib petitions king for pardon

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s Parliament speaker says jailed ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak has sought a pardon from the nation’s king. Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun says a petition was submitted Sept. 2, less than two weeks after Najib began a 12-year jail term after losing his final appeal in August in a graft case linked to the looted 1MDB state fund. Azhar said Monday that Najib will remain a lawmaker pending the outcome of his pardon bid. If he isn’t pardoned before September 2023, when general elections are due, Najib cannot run in the polls and will automatically lose his parliamentary seat. Local media reported that Najib was admitted to a hospital on Sunday but the cause of his ailment is unclear.