KUANTAN: The Sultan of Pahang has the power to pardon Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno or reduce her caning sentence whether she appeals it or not under the state's syariah laws, said the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

The Sultan's prerogative to do so comes under Section 133 of the Pahang Syariah Criminal Procedure Enactment 2002, he said after an audience with the former part-time model at the Pahang Islamic Religious Council office on Wednesday morning.

Last July 20, Kartika, 33, was fined RM5,000 and ordered to be given six strokes of the rotan by the Kuantan Syariah High Court after she pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol in public.

She paid the fine but refused to appeal against the caning sentence, which was later postponed several times.

The sentence attracted worldwide media attention.

-The Star/Asia News Network