Inappropriate to portray pardon power as 'above the law', says Azalina

KUALA LUMPUR: It is inappropriate to portray the exercise of the constitutional power of pardon as an act of being "above the law", said Umno information chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said the power of pardon was not outside the law, as it is provided for under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.

Azalina, who is also minister in the prime minister's department, said that in respect of offences committed in the Federal Territories, Article 42 provides for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's power of pardon and establishes the constitutional framework for the Pardons Board.