AG says Prisons Dept to issue SOPs for Najib’s house arrest, RM50m fine must be paid

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — The Prisons Department is expected to issue standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest soon, with the rules to cover visits, security and monitoring of the former prime minister’s movements.

Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said, however, that Najib must first pay the RM50 million fine at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Registrar’s Office before the house arrest process can proceed, The Star reported today.

“I understand that there will be an SOP issued for the purpose of house arrest. He would first have to pay the RM50mil fine at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Registrar’s Office before the house arrest process could proceed,” Dusuki was quoted as saying.

Yesterday, reporters camped outside Najib’s home at Jalan Langgak Duta observed a team of Prisons Department personnel passing through the gate in the morning, and exiting a few hours later.

Several police vehicles were also seen arriving at the house throughout the day, with some personnel entering the residence, although the purpose of their visits was not immediately known.

The developments follow the Prime Minister’s Department’s announcement on Friday that Najib had been granted a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028.

The pardon was granted at the 64th meeting of the Federal Territories Pardons Board, chaired by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and is subject to conditions including settlement of the RM50 million fine.

Najib’s house arrest arrangement follows his conviction in the SRC International case, for which he has been serving a prison sentence since August 2022 after the Federal Court upheld his conviction on seven charges involving RM42 million belonging to SRC International.

His original 12-year prison sentence and RM210 million fine were reduced to six years and RM50 million respectively by the Pardons Board in 2024.