Najib Razak was recently granted a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his SRC case jail sentence under house arrest, subject to payment of a RM50 million fine.

PETALING JAYA: Analysts say Umno must demonstrate that its support for former prime minister Najib Razak’s conditional pardon will not detract from its acceptance of the decision which saw him convicted in the SRC International case.

They said sympathy for the former Umno president should not overshadow the court’s decision or gloss over the weak checks and balances in place during the party’s time in government.

“Umno can support Najib’s pardon as a constitutional and humanitarian process, but it should not portray it as erasing or negating his conviction,” Universiti Malaya’s Tawfik Yaakub told FMT.