Anwar appeals decision rejecting appeal for royal pardon

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his family's appeal to the Court of Appeal in relation to the Pardons Board decision to reject their petition for a royal pardon over his sodomy conviction will be heard on Jan 18.
They have applied for leave to commence judicial review to quash the Pardons Board's decision at the High Court.
However, it was rejected on July 15, 2016.
The High Court also rejected Anwar's application to refer a constitutional question in relation to the process of the Pardons Board's decision.
Anwar is appealing against the decision to deny leave application by the High Court and over the constitutional question at the Court of Appeal.
Anwar's lawyer Shahid Adli Kamarudin said he would be filing submissions on the matter.
Federal Counsel Haryati Ahmad also appeared before deputy registrar Nur Yusliana Yusoff during the case management yesterday.
On July 15, the High Court rejected his application and ordered to pay RM5,000 cost.
Anwar and his wife, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughters, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Nurul Nuha Anwar, had named the Pardons Board for Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Attorney-General and the government as the respondents, in their application filed on June 24, 2015.
Anwar's family members are seeking to compel the board to re-convene a meeting and consider materials relating to the petition and tender appropriate advice to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Alternatively, they are seeking for an order to compel the Board to advise the Agong for Anwar to be pardoned and released.
The Pardons Board decision was made on March 16, 2015.
Since Feb 10, 2015, Anwar has been serving a five-year jail term for sodomising his former personal aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, in 2008. — Bernama