Home Ministry, Prisons Dept await Pardons Board letter on Najib's house arrest

KULIM: The Home Ministry and Prisons Department have yet to receive an official letter from the Pardons Board on the conditional house arrest granted to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry would wait for formal notification of the board's decision before determining its next course of action.

"At the Home Ministry, which oversees the Prisons Department, we will wait for the official letter informing us of yesterday's decision by the Pardons Board.

"As of now, we have not received anything," he said after visiting the families of four children who drowned in Taman Desa Kayangan, Sungai Karangan.

"Only after receiving the notification will it be clear what further action we will take, in line with existing legal provisions."

Saifuddin said the ministry would need to examine the contents of the letter to understand the details of the decision, including whether the location for Najib's house arrest had been specified or left to the Prisons Department to determine.

"I need to see the letter first. Currently, Datuk Seri Najib is serving his prison sentence.

"House arrest means he will not be in prison but at another premises, and there are naturally processes to follow," he said.

Saifuddin said the ministry needed clarity on the decision before taking any action to ensure that its implementation complied with the Pardons Board's ruling.

Najib previously had his prison sentence reduced from 12 years to six years and his fine cut from RM210 million to RM50 million.

"If Datuk Seri Najib pays the reduced fine of RM50 million, his release date will be Aug 23, 2028.

"If the fine is not paid, he will be released on Aug 23, 2029," Saifuddin said.

On house arrest more broadly, Saifuddin said Malaysia currently had no specific legislation governing such a mechanism.

However, he said the ministry had obtained cabinet approval in principle to begin drafting a House Arrest Bill for tabling in Parliament.

He said the proposal was originally intended to address prison overcrowding, particularly among remand detainees.

"We currently have 41 prisons housing about 93,000 inmates, despite a total capacity of only 75,000.

"That is why I obtained cabinet approval in principle to begin the process of tabling a House Arrest Act to address prison overcrowding," he said.

Saifuddin said that if the bill were passed, certain remand prisoners could be placed under house arrest, with their movements monitored using electronic devices until their trial dates.