Loke to resign from cabinet after Najib's conditional pardon, DAP stays

The home ministry in Malaysia has not yet received a formal letter from the Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB) regarding the possibility of Najib Razak serving his remaining jail term under house arrest if he pays a RM50 million fine. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated that his ministry cannot proceed with preparations until they receive the letter and are informed of the details of the conditional pardon.

Typically, this letter comes from the Prime Minister's Department's legal affairs division, which serves as the FTPB's secretariat. Saifuddin emphasized that once informed, they would have clarity on the subsequent steps to execute the decision in accordance with legal provisions. He declined to comment on whether Najib's residence at Taman Duta in Kuala Lumpur is suitable for house arrest, stating that his ministry needs to ascertain whether the FTPB has already designated a specific location or delegated this responsibility to the prisons department.

Furthermore, Saifuddin highlighted that Malaysia lacks a specific law governing house arrest, but is actively working on a bill to permit house arrests, particularly for remand detainees. This bill is currently in the process of being tabled in Parliament with the Cabinet's provisional approval.