Malaysia's king warns against disputing Najib's house arrest pardon
Sultan Ibrahim says his conditional pardon for Najib Razak is unambiguous after the Attorney-General's Chambers halted the ex-leader's move home.
Malaysia's king, Sultan Ibrahim, has warned that any argument against his conditional pardon for former prime minister Najib Razak would amount to defying his decree. The warning came a day after the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) halted Najib's transfer from prison to house arrest.
In a statement on Saturday, the king said the order was "clear, explicit and without any ambiguity" and had nothing to do with Najib's other cases, CNA reported. He said all of its conditions had been met and that the power of pardon is a royal prerogative under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution. CNA noted that the statement did not explicitly direct the AGC to drop its position.
The pardon, granted in September, allows the 73-year-old to serve the rest of his sentence in the SRC International corruption case at home once he paid a RM50 million fine. The fine was paid on Friday. CNA said the money came from a crowdfunding campaign by his supporters, while The Straits Times reported that his party, UMNO, paid it in full. CNA put the fine at US$12.3 million and Al Jazeera at US$12 million.
The AGC says it is unclear whether paying the fine means Najib serves house arrest until August 23, 2028, or whether his SRC sentence is now complete. That matters because of a separate 15-year sentence in the 1MDB case, which the High Court ordered to begin after the SRC term ends. The Straits Times reported that if the SRC sentence has legally ended, the second prison term could take effect immediately. Najib is appealing that conviction. The High Court rejected his bid to suspend the sentence on October 14.
Najib's lawyers welcomed the king's statement. "They must transfer him immediately to his residence at Jalan Langgak Duta to serve his house arrest, as His Majesty has ordered," lawyer Farhan Shafee said, according to Al Jazeera.
The AGC issued a five-page response about an hour after the palace statement, The Straits Times reported, saying it was not challenging the king. "This step is not aimed at delaying or denying the implementation of the Conditional Pardon Order, but to avoid any conflict in the implementation of the orders in force and to ensure no sentence is implemented unlawfully," it said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
The dispute has put pressure on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's coalition. The Straits Times reported that UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki demanded the pardon be carried out immediately, and that UMNO youth chief Akmal Saleh said the party's youth wings would lodge police reports over the delay. Democratic Action Party secretary-general Anthony Loke has pledged to resign as transport minister once Najib returns home. Anwar has publicly disagreed with UMNO paying the fine.
Later on Saturday, the Prime Minister's Office said the Attorney-General was seeking an audience with the king to seek forgiveness and convey his commitment to comply. The office also said legal questions over the High Court's release order must still be decided by the courts. Najib remained in Kajang Prison, where he has been held since 2022.
Sources: CNA, Malaysia's king says Najib's conditional pardon is unambiguous, warns against disputing it; South China Morning Post, Malaysia’s king warns against challenging Najib’s house arrest; Al Jazeera, Malaysian king warns against defying house arrest order for ex-PM Najib; The Straits Times, Malaysian King’s warning raises stakes as Najib’s house arrest remains in legal limbo.
