A-GC: No instructions for Prisons Dept to 'act unlawfully' over Najib's house arrest

KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC) has dismissed claims that the Attorney-General or other parties directed prison authorities to "act unlawfully" over Datuk Seri Najib Razak's house arrest.

"Any allegation or insinuation that the Attorney-General or certain parties had directed prison authorities to act unlawfully should not be presented as a conclusion without a clear factual basis," it said in a statement.

The A-GC said prison authorities must act in accordance with their legal duties and existing court orders.

It maintained that seeking clarification from the courts was the proper course to resolve uncertainty surrounding the implementation of Najib's conditional royal pardon.

The response follows remarks by Najib's solicitors, Messrs Shafee & Co, who questioned his continued detention at Kajang Prison despite the settlement of his RM50 million fine.

They also warned that prison officials risked legal action if they failed to comply with the royal pardon and the High Court's orders.

The A-GC, however, said that judicial clarification was required regarding the legal effect of the Kuala Lumpur High Court's discharge order granted yesterday following payment of the fine.

It said the order raised questions over whether Najib's SRC International prison sentence remained active or had lapsed, which in turn affected when his separate 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sentence would take effect.

His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, granted Najib a conditional royal pardon on Sept 18, allowing him to serve the remainder of his SRC sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to the RM50 million fine being settled.