High Court orders Najib’s house arrest after Umno settles RM50m fine payment

The High Court issued a house arrest order for Najib Razak after his RM50 million fine in the SRC International case was paid. The order matters because it changes where he may serve the rest of his sentence, following the conditional royal pardon granted by Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia.

Umno paid the fine to the High Court registry on November 6. Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, a member of Najib’s legal team, said the court issued the house arrest order pursuant to the royal pardon. The legal team obtained the order and planned to deliver it to Kajang Prison.

Najib has not been released yet. Farhan said further processes remain before he can leave prison. If those steps are completed, he is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, subject to the pardon’s conditions.

House arrest is a form of confinement in which a person serves a sentence at home rather than inside a prison. The person remains restricted and must follow the conditions imposed by the relevant authority. It matters here because Najib’s location would change, while his sentence would continue.

In this case, the High Court issued the order after Umno paid Najib’s RM50 million fine. The order was made pursuant to Sultan Ibrahim’s conditional royal pardon. Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee said the legal team obtained the order and would deliver it to Kajang Prison, where Najib has been held since August 23, 2022.

House arrest is therefore not the same as complete freedom or an immediate cancellation of the sentence. The article says further processes remain before Najib can leave prison. The pardon permits house arrest until August 23, 2028, provided the fine and other conditions are met.

Najib’s original punishment was severe: 12 years in jail and a RM210 million fine. These penalties followed his conviction in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case. Their later reduction matters because it shortened his prison term and greatly lowered the financial penalty required under the sentence.

In January 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board reduced the jail term from 12 years to six years. It also cut the fine from RM210 million to RM50 million. The article identifies this reduction as part of the royal pardon process and says Sultan Ibrahim later permitted house arrest under conditions.

The reduced punishment did not erase the conviction or end the sentence immediately. Najib has remained at Kajang Prison since August 23, 2022. After Umno paid the reduced RM50 million fine, the High Court issued a house arrest order, but further release procedures still remain.

Najib cannot move to house arrest solely because a payment was made. The article says the fine and other conditions attached to Sultan Ibrahim’s conditional pardon must be met. The High Court’s order changes his proposed place of confinement, but it does not remove the need for official processing.

Umno paid the RM50 million fine to the High Court registry on November 6. Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee said the court then issued the house arrest order pursuant to the royal pardon. His legal team obtained the order and planned to deliver it to Kajang Prison.

The current position remains conditional. Farhan said further processes are still required before the former prime minister can be released from prison. The pardon permits house arrest until August 23, 2028, provided the fine and other conditions are satisfied. The article does not specify every additional condition or the exact release timetable.

Umno created the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund to collect money for the RM50 million fine. Its purpose was directly connected to Najib’s release arrangements because payment of the fine was a condition linked to the house arrest permission under his conditional royal pardon.

The fund was launched on September 18. Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki later said it had reached its collection target and was sufficient. The party completed the payment process and paid RM50 million to the High Court registry. After that payment, the High Court issued a house arrest order.

Umno then officially closed the special account, saying further crowdfunding was unnecessary. The payment did not produce an instant release. Najib’s legal team still had to deliver the order to Kajang Prison, and further processes remained before he could leave prison and serve the rest of his sentence at home.

Najib was convicted of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd. The conviction mattered because it resulted in a major criminal sentence: 12 years in jail and a RM210 million fine. It also led to his imprisonment after the highest court upheld the conviction.

The Federal Court upheld Najib’s conviction, and he has been at Kajang Prison since August 23, 2022. The article describes the case as involving the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International. It does not provide further details about how the money was handled or the individual findings behind the conviction.

The punishment was later reduced through the pardon process. In January 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board cut the sentence to six years and the fine to RM50 million. After Umno paid that reduced fine, the High Court issued a house arrest order, though further release procedures remain.

A royal pardon is a constitutional mercy process that can change the punishment imposed after a conviction. In Malaysia, the King acts with the relevant Pardons Board. It can reduce a sentence or fine and may attach conditions. The conviction itself is not necessarily removed by such a reduction.

The article gives Najib’s case as an example. In January 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board reduced his 12-year jail term to six years and his RM210 million fine to RM50 million. Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, granted a conditional pardon on September 18, permitting the rest of the sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028.

That permission depended on the fine and other conditions being met. Umno later paid the RM50 million fine, after which the High Court issued the house arrest order. Najib still faced further procedures before leaving prison, so the pardon did not create an immediate release.