Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak is unable to pay the RM50 million fine required for his proposed house arrest because his bank accounts and other assets remain frozen, according to his lead defence lawyer.
Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said on Sept. 25 that Najib currently does not have access to sufficient funds to meet the payment condition attached to his conditional pardon. He said Najib’s bank accounts, including an Affin Bank account previously used to receive his salary and allowances as prime minister and Member of Parliament, had been frozen.
The RM50 million payment is a condition of the royal clemency granted to Najib on Sept. 18, which allows him to serve the remainder of his SRC International sentence under house arrest until Aug. 23, 2028. Until the conditions are fulfilled, Najib remains in Kajang Prison.
Najib’s legal team had already said earlier that a significant portion of his assets, bank accounts and properties remained subject to government freezing orders and enforcement proceedings. The lawyers said this meant his ability to satisfy the financial condition was partly dependent on matters outside his sole control.
Shafee also said he did not know how much money had been collected through a fundraising effort associated with supporters seeking to help cover the fine. He added that Najib himself had not sought public donations to settle the payment.
Another complication is the absence of the formal documentation detailing the conditions of Najib’s pardon. Shafee said neither Najib nor his legal team had received the official letter setting out the terms, while the Prisons Department had also not received it as of Sept. 25.
The lawyer said the delay was affecting the legal team’s ability to determine its next steps because the full conditions had not yet been communicated.
The house-arrest issue is unfolding alongside another major legal development. On Sept. 25, Najib’s lawyers also filed an application seeking a stay of execution of his separate 15-year prison sentence and RM11.38 billion fine arising from his 1MDB corruption case. The High Court scheduled the stay application for hearing on Oct. 14.
Najib therefore faces several unresolved legal and financial hurdles before the house-arrest arrangement can take effect. The immediate issue is whether the RM50 million condition can be satisfied while his assets remain subject to freezing orders — and whether the official pardon documentation will clarify what must happen next.
