By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-09-19 10:22:08 | Updated at 2026-09-19 12:14:34
2 hours ago
PETALING JAYA - The Prisons Department is expected to release the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest soon.
Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar said the SOPs will detail aspects of visitations, control and monitoring of the former Prime Minister’s movements.
“I was made to understand that there will be an SOP released for the purpose of house arrest,” he said.
Dusuki also reiterated that Najib must pay the RM50 million fine at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Registrar’s office before the house arrest process can proceed.
On Sept 18, Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim granted Najib a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, provided he fulfils all specified conditions.
The decision was made during the 64th meeting of the Federal Territories Pardons Board on Sept 18.
Najib, 73, has been serving his prison sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022.
The conviction for which he is currently serving his sentence involves the misappropriation of funds belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd, while cases related to 1MDB are still undergoing trial and appeal proceedings.
The Malaysian Home Ministry and Prisons Department are awaiting official written notification regarding the Pardons Board’s decision on Najib’s conditional pardon before taking further action, said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said the official document, usually issued by the Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division as the board’s secretariat, is needed to clarify the specific terms and legal mechanics of any home detention order.
“We want to see whether the Pardons Board specifies the designated premises or leaves the execution details to the Prisons Department,” Saifuddin told reporters in Kulim, Kedah, on Sept 19. “We need to examine the letter first to determine the exact conditions attached.”
He noted this process mirrors the board’s previous decision, which commuted the former prime minister’s 12-year sentence in the SRC International case to six years and reduced his RM210 million fine to RM50 million. Under those terms, Najib’s release date is set for Aug 23, 2028, or Aug 23, 2029, if the fine remains unpaid.
Addressing queries on whether Malaysia possesses a legal framework for home detention, Saifuddin confirmed that no specific house arrest legislation currently exists.
However, he revealed that the Cabinet has granted policy agreement in principle to draft and table a House Arrest Bill in Parliament, primarily aimed at curbing chronic prison overcrowding.
“Malaysia’s 41 prisons currently hold about 93,000 inmates against a total capacity of 75,000,” Saifuddin explained. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
