A-GC: No instructions for Prisons Dept to 'act unlawfully' over Najib's house arrest

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (A-GC) has rejected accusations that the Attorney-General or other parties instructed prison officials to breach the law regarding Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest. The A-GC clarified that any assertion or implication that the Attorney-General or certain parties directed prison authorities to act unlawfully cannot be accepted without solid evidence.

The agency emphasised that prison personnel must abide by their legal responsibilities and adhere to the court orders in place. The A-GC further argued that seeking additional clarification from the courts is the appropriate way to address uncertainties surrounding the implementation of Najib’s conditional royal pardon. The comment came in response to remarks made by Najib’s legal representatives, Messrs Shafee & Co, who questioned his ongoing detention at Kajang Prison despite previously settling his RM50 million fine.

They also cautioned that prison officials risked facing legal consequences if they failed to comply with both the royal pardon and the High Court’s orders. The A-GC, however, stated that judicial clarification was necessary regarding the legal implications of the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s discharge order issued following the payment of the fine.

The order raised doubts about whether Najib’s sentence imposed by SRC International was still active or if it had expired, which in turn influenced when his separate sentence related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) would become effective. On September 18, His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, granted Najib a conditional royal pardon, permitting him to serve the remainder of his SRC sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, contingent upon the settlement of the RM50 million fine.