On a Sunday in Terengganu, Malaysia's Home Minister acknowledged a question the nation has been asking for some time: when a former prime minister will leave his prison cell for his home. The answer, for now, is not yet. A royal pardon has opened a path to house arrest, but it is a path without a map, since no such arrangement has existed in the country before, and it is gated by a fine that has not been paid. Like many passages between confinement and freedom, this one depends on paperwork and money arriving at the same moment, and until they do, the man at the centre of it waits where he is.
Najib's House Arrest Conditions Near Final, but RM50m Fine Remains Unpaid
Former prime minister Najib Razak remains detained at Kajang Prison while the RM50 million fine that conditions his transfer to house arrest is unpaid.
Our country has never had house arrest before.
Mark
So what actually changed on Sunday? The pardon was announced last month.
Mimi
Nothing has changed for Najib yet. What we got is a status report: the Prisons Department is in the final phase of drafting the rules for house arrest, and he's still in Kajang.
Mark
Why is he still there if the King has already granted the pardon?
Mimi
Because the pardon is conditional. The RM50 million fine has to be paid, and Saifuddin says it hasn't been.
Luke
Worth noting that's the minister's account. We haven't heard from Najib's team on the fine, and the report gives no payment deadline.
Mark
The minister said Malaysia has never done this before. Why does that matter?
Mimi
It means the department is writing the rulebook as it goes. He said the Pardons Board letter lets them impose any conditions, so the scope is wide.
Luke
And we don't know what those conditions are. Nothing in the report says whether there will be electronic monitoring, visitor limits or anything else. Anyone claiming to know is guessing.
Mark
Where would Najib serve it?
Mimi
His lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said at his home in Langgak Duta, Kuala Lumpur, with his family, until Aug 23, 2028.
Luke
That's the lawyer's statement of intent, not a finalised arrangement. The conditions could still shape it.
Mark
So what do we watch?
Mimi
Two things: the published regulations, and whether the fine gets paid.
El Pulso
- A former prime minister remains behind bars at Kajang Prison while the terms of his release are still being written.
- Malaysia has never before used house arrest in this form, so authorities are building the framework from scratch.
- The Prisons Department is racing to finalise conditions it has been given wide latitude to set.
- Najib's transfer to his Kuala Lumpur residence hinges on paying a RM50 million fine, and that payment has not yet been made.
- Until the regulations are issued and the fine is settled, the move home remains a plan rather than a fact.
On a Sunday in Terengganu, Malaysia's Home Minister acknowledged a question the nation has been asking for some time: when a former prime minister will leave his prison cell for his home. The answer, for now, is not yet. A royal pardon has opened a path to house arrest, but it is a path without a map, since no such arrangement has existed in the country before, and it is gated by a fine that has not been paid. Like many passages between confinement and freedom, this one depends on paperwork and money arriving at the same moment, and until they do, the man at the centre of it waits where he is.
On Sunday morning in Jertih, Terengganu, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution spoke to reporters after an event for the National Anti-Drug Agency and gave an update on a question many Malaysians have been following: when former prime minister Najib Razak will leave Kajang Prison for house arrest. The paperwork is nearly ready, he said, but Najib is not going anywhere yet.
The Prisons Department is in the final phase of drafting the rules that will govern home detention. The work follows a conditional pardon from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, which allows Najib to serve the rest of his sentence at home until August 23, 2028. Saifuddin said this is new ground for Malaysia, which has never had house arrest of this kind. Officials are working from a letter from the Pardons Board secretariat that gives the department broad power to set whatever conditions it sees fit.
One requirement is still outstanding. Najib has not paid the RM50 million fine attached to the pardon, and until it is settled, the transfer cannot happen.
Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, has said his client expects to spend the remainder of his sentence with his family at his residence in Langgak Duta, Kuala Lumpur. For now, that remains a plan. Two things will decide the timing: the Prisons Department issuing its regulations, and the RM50 million being paid. Until both happen, Najib stays in Kajang.
On Sunday morning in Jertih, Terengganu, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stopped to talk to reporters after a ceremony for the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), and gave an update on a question many Malaysians have been waiting on: when will former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak leave Kajang Prison for house arrest? His answer was that the paperwork is nearly ready, but Najib is not going anywhere yet.
Saifuddin had just officiated the launch of the AADK's Madani Adopted Village and Madani Adopted School initiatives at Felda Tenang. Afterward he told reporters that the Malaysian Prisons Department is in the final phase of drafting the regulations and conditions that will govern home detention. The work follows the conditional pardon that lets Najib serve the rest of his prison sentence at home.
The minister was candid that this is new ground. Malaysia, he said, has never had house arrest of this kind before. The framework is being built from scratch, and the department is working from a letter sent by the secretariat of the Pardons Board. According to Saifuddin, that letter says the Prisons Department may impose any conditions it sees fit. The department's task, he said, is to turn that latitude into a working set of rules.
There is one condition already in place that has not been met. Najib remains at Kajang Prison because he has not paid the RM50 million fine attached to the pardon. Saifuddin described payment as one of the requirements for serving the remainder of the sentence at home, so the transfer cannot happen until it is settled.
The pardon itself came last month, when His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, granted Najib a conditional pardon. Under it, Najib may serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, provided the RM50 million fine is paid.
Najib's side has already said where he expects to be. His lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said recently that his client would spend the remainder of his sentence in the SRC International case with his family at his residence in Langgak Duta, Kuala Lumpur, under the home detention order granted by the King.
Two things now decide the timing. One is the Prisons Department finishing and issuing its regulations. The other is whether the RM50 million is paid. Until both happen, Najib stays in Kajang, and the move to Langgak Duta remains a plan rather than a fact.
Citas Notables
The Pardons Board letter says the Prisons Department can impose any conditions; the department is now drafting the regulations.— Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail
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