KULIM: The Prisons Department has not yet received an official letter notifying it of the Pardons Board’s decision on the conditional pardon for former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the department needs to review the official notification to ensure the decision is implemented under existing laws.
“We need to see the letter first. At present, Najib is serving his prison sentence. House arrest means he would no longer be in prison but at another premises, and there would, of course, be a process to follow.
“So, to be on the safe side, I should comment to the media only after we receive the official notification letter,” he told reporters after visiting the family of four children who drowned after falling into a drain in an incident here on Monday.
Saifuddin Nasution said the ministry must examine the letter’s contents to determine the details of the Pardons Board’s decision, including whether the board specified the premises for house arrest or left it to the Prisons Department to implement.
He said the letter is also needed to determine whether the Pardons Board has made any other decisions or issued further directives.
Yesterday, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, granted Najib a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of a RM50 million fine and other conditions.
Saifuddin Nasution said the ministry was officially notified under the previous Pardons Board decision that Najib’s prison sentence had been reduced from 12 to six years and his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million, with his release set for Aug 23, 2028 if the fine was paid, or Aug 23, 2029 if it was not.
He said Malaysia currently has no specific law on house arrest, but his ministry has obtained in-principle approval from the Cabinet to begin drafting a House Arrest Bill, particularly to address prison overcrowding involving remand detainees.
“House arrest is a mechanism that prison authorities worldwide use to reduce prison overcrowding, particularly among remand detainees,” he said.
He said 41 prisons nationwide currently house about 93,000 inmates, compared with a total capacity of around 75,000 — BERNAMA
