Lawyer says Najib in RM50m bind - not enough personal funds, torn over raising public money

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, revealed on Tuesday that they have not yet received official confirmation of the conditional pardon that would allow him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. This conditional pardon was granted by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim last week.

However, neither Najib nor the prisons department have received the official notice. The lawyer expressed surprise at the delay, stating that it is not typical. He also asked about the conditions attached to the pardon, which remains unknown. When asked if Najib could pay the RM50 million fine required by the pardon terms, Shafee insisted his client could not afford it.

During the 1MDB trial, it was disclosed that Najib received US$681 million from the Saudi royal family in 2013 and returned US$620 million. Additionally, Shafee mentioned that civil suits related to 1MDB and SRC International were questioning whether funds from these companies had returned to Najib's accounts, which never did. The lawyer specified that Najib would serve his house arrest at Langkawi Duta. He added that there are numerous reporters outside his residence, as if he were present there.