Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim can still reapply for royal pardon again if the previous appeal applied by his family is rejected, said PKR vice-president Mohd Rafizi Ramli.

“The royal pardon is not a one-off thing. It is an annual and ongoing thing. If the royal pardon is denied this time around, Datuk Seri Anwar has all the opportunity and possibility to apply for royal pardon continuously in the future.

“The only complication with regards to this application is with regards to the (parliamentary) seat of Permatang Pauh, but as far as his position and eligibility for pardon, that is an ongoing thing forever,” he told reporters today.

However, he maintained that his and his party’s position that it would not accept any decision unless it is received in writing from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who chairs the Pardons Board.

He added that he has been receiving conflicting unofficial information regarding the pardon process and the reports earlier today that the pardon application has supposedly been rejected.

This include claims that the rejection was only part of a process, and there would be another process that would involve a final decision from the Agong, he said.

“Even here (in parliament) when we ask our counterparts from BN, we get different answers from them. So I think it is best to wait for the official process to go through its motions,” he said.

However, Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia later issued a statement saying that he has received notification that Anwar’s pardon appeal has been denied, and declared that the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat vacant .

Anwar is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in Sungai Buloh prison after being convicted for sodomy, but he claims that the charges are a political conspiracy to thwart his political career.