KUCHING: Former prime minister Najib Razak has withdrawn his appeal at the Court of Appeal against a High Court decision dismissing his bid to serve the remainder of his SRC International jail term under house arrest.
According to The Star, Najib, through Messrs Shafee & Co, filed a Notice of Discontinuance dated April 3. The filing stated that the appeal was withdrawn “without liberty to file afresh and with no order as to costs”, effectively preventing him from refiling a similar appeal. No reasons were provided for the withdrawal.
Najib, who is currently serving his sentence at Sungai Buloh prison, had initially sought to appeal a High Court ruling which dismissed his judicial review application. In the application, he claimed that a royal addendum order would have allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
In the notice of discontinuance, Najib stated: “Please take note that the appellant named above wishes to terminate and withdraw this appeal against the respondents without liberty to file afresh and with no order as to costs.”
Najib is serving a sentence imposed after he was found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB. After exhausting his appeals, he sought a royal pardon.
On Feb 2, 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board announced that his 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine would be reduced to six years’ imprisonment and a RM50 million fine. Under the decision, Najib is expected to be released on Aug 23, 2028, although failure to pay the fine would result in an additional year’s imprisonment.
Two months later, on April 1, 2024, Najib filed an application for leave to commence judicial review proceedings, naming several respondents including the Home Minister, the Commissioner-General of Prisons, the Attorney-General, the Pardons Board and the government.
He sought a court order to compel authorities to enforce the alleged royal addendum and transfer him from Kajang Prison to his residence in Kuala Lumpur to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
However, on Dec 22, 2025, the High Court dismissed the application, ruling that the purported addendum did not comply with Article 42 of the Federal Constitution and was therefore invalid.
