AGC files application to review Najib’s discharge order

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has filed an application at the High Court to review the discharge order allowing former prime minister Najib Razak to undergo house arrest.

“The AGC is also seeking a new order in line with the conditional pardon granted by the king,” Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar said in a statement.

He was responding to media queries about the clarification his office sought on the discharge order issued by the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s criminal registry office last Friday.

The High Court issued the order of discharge after the RM50 million fine imposed on the former Umno president was paid through a solidarity fund launched by the party, paving the way for him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.

However, the AGC subsequently moved to defer the implementation of Najib’s house arrest pending a review of the conditional pardon and order of discharge.

It said these issues involved “complex legal questions” that had implications for the execution of the royal pardon and a court order.

The alleged defects, which raised questions among legal practitioners, reportedly involve the accuracy of the terminology and legal provisions used in the document.

The AGC said its request was not an attempt to dispute the conditional pardon, but to clarify the legal effect of the discharge order.

Najib was jailed in August 2022 after the Federal Court upheld his conviction for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million in SRC International funds.

He was sentenced to 12 years behind bars and fined RM210 million.

In January 2024, then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah halved Najib’s prison sentence and reduced his fine to RM50 million as part of a royal pardon.

In September this year, the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, granted Najib a further conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028.

The arrangement was subject to Najib paying the RM50 million fine and complying with other stipulated conditions.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.