Istana Negara says King’s order on Najib’s house arrest is clear, must be respected

Istana Negara says all conditions attached to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s conditional pardon have been fulfilled and that the King’s decree must be respected. — Picture by Yusof Isa

By Malay Mail

First Published: Saturday, 07 Nov 2026 11:57 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Istana Negara said today that His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim’s order allowing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest was clear and unambiguous, and that the royal prerogative of pardon must be respected.

In a statement, the palace said all conditions attached to the conditional pardon had been fulfilled, adding that any attempt to challenge the order would amount to disobeying the King’s decree.

The statement follows the Attorney General’s Chambers’ (AGC) call yesterday for Najib’s transfer from Kajang Prison to house arrest to be temporarily deferred pending clarification of legal questions surrounding the royal pardon.

Istana Negara said the Federal Territories Pardons Board had considered Najib’s petition on September 18 under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.

The meeting, attended by the Federal Territories minister and the Attorney General, provided its advice to Sultan Ibrahim.

The King subsequently decreed that Najib serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, subject to the payment of a RM50 million fine.

“The conditional pardon order is clear, explicit and without any ambiguity, and is unrelated to any other cases against him,” the palace said, according to a translation of its Malay-language statement.

It added that there should be no confusion over the interpretation of the order or prolonged uncertainty surrounding its implementation.

The palace also emphasised that the power of pardon was a royal prerogative under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, and that its exercise should be respected in accordance with the position of the constitutional monarchy and the principle of the rule of law.

“Given that all the conditions in the conditional pardon order have been fulfilled, any attempt to challenge the order would amount to disobeying the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” it said.

Umno paid Najib’s RM50 million fine yesterday, according to his lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, who said the Kuala Lumpur High Court had subsequently issued an order allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

However, the AGC called for the implementation of the order to be temporarily deferred pending clarification of its legal implications.

The AGC said two possible interpretations had arisen: that payment of the fine fulfilled only the financial component of Najib’s sentence, leaving his SRC International prison term in force, or that it allowed the entire SRC sentence to be considered completed.

It also raised questions about how either interpretation would affect Najib’s separate 15-year prison sentence in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.

The AGC maintained that its call for a temporary deferment was not intended to challenge or set aside the King’s decree, but to ensure that the relevant orders were implemented in accordance with the law.

Najib, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2022 following his conviction over the misappropriation of RM42 million belonging to SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.

His original 12-year prison sentence was reduced to six years and his RM210 million fine lowered to RM50 million following a royal pardon in 2024.

The conditional pardon issued on September 18 allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, subject to the stipulated conditions.

Najib is also appealing a separate 15-year prison sentence imposed following his conviction in December 2025 in the main 1MDB corruption case.

That sentence was ordered to begin after the completion of his SRC International prison term, rather than running concurrently with it.

The High Court also dismissed his application to stay execution of the 1MDB sentence on October 14.