The article titled 'Najib Bebas, Terima Pengampunan' ('Najib released, Granted pardoned') was published on the digital platform on Wednesday.
Shortly after its publication, readers discovered that the original article had been removed. Subsequently, a follow-up article appeared with an apology from Utusan's editorial team expressing regret for the inaccuracies surrounding Najib's pardon.
"Utusan Malaysia has retracted the news on the pardon of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak due to unverifiable facts," Utusan said in its apology.
"We sincerely apologise to our readers," Utusan Malaysia added.
Separately, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has called on all media practitioners to wait for the official statement from the Pardons Board regarding Najib's appeal for a royal pardon, and not to produce news stories based solely on sources.
