Saifuddin Nasution says ministry awaits Pardons Board letter, no Najib house arrest notification yet

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that the government is currently awaiting the official written notification from the Pardons Board regarding former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's alleged house arrest. Until the letter arrives from the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department, the ministry and Prisons Department remain in the dark about the next steps.

Saifuddin, while visiting the families of four young boys who tragically drowned in Taman Desa Kayangan, Sungai Karangan, emphasized that the letter would clarify whether Najib's house arrest location is predetermined or left to the Prisons Department's discretion. He stressed that Najib is presently serving his prison sentence, and house arrest would entail his confinement at an alternative location, following prescribed procedures.

The ministry is also evaluating whether the Pardons Board's decision delegates any additional authority to the Prisons Department. Saifuddin pointed out that Malaysia presently lacks a specific law governing house arrest, and his administration has previously discussed the introduction of a House Arrest Act to address prison overcrowding.