Malaysia's Najib Razak remains in prison as AGC seeks clarification on house arrest
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The Attorney-General's Chambers has moved to delay Najib Razak's house arrest while it sorts through the legal mess around his conditional royal pardon, even as his lawyers say the pardon terms have already been met.
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak stayed in Kajang Prison on Friday after the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) moved to suspend his house arrest for the moment, citing tangled legal questions over how his conditional royal pardon should be read. The AGC issued its statement hours after Najib paid the RM50 million fine imposed in the SRC International case, which was meant to open the way for the rest of his sentence to be served under house arrest.
"We call on the Commissioner General of Prisons to complete our client’s release into house arrest without delay," Najib’s lawyers said in a statement.
The law firm representing Najib, Shafee & Co, rejected the AGC’s stance, insisting that every condition of the royal pardon had been satisfied and that there was no lawful basis for keeping him behind bars. They pointed to a September 18 Pardons Board secretariat statement that specified house arrest after payment of the fine, and to sealed High Court orders authorising his discharge once the fine was paid.
The AGC said more clarification was needed on whether payment of the fine meant Najib must keep serving his sentence under house arrest until August 2028, and how the SRC International sentence fits together with the separate 1MDB case, which requires the SRC term to be completed first. The agency described the situation as unprecedented and said clear legal guidance was needed before any further action could be taken.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Najib left the prison for a dental appointment, while UMNO confirmed that the fine had been paid after a crowdfunding campaign reached its target. Najib’s aide and the party’s secretary-general said the fundraising effort had ended, removing the need for any further public donations.
Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, has been incarcerated since 2022 following convictions in the SRC International case and a separate 1MDB-related case. He continues to appeal the latter conviction.