Interior Minister Dato' Seri Saifuddin Nasution denies accusations that the Prison Department concealed and did not enforce an additional order for former Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib to serve his sentence at home. He emphasized that the meeting minutes and decisions from the Pardon Board meeting issued by the Prime Minister's Department's Legal Affairs Division did not contain the said additional order.
He explained that neither the Ministry of Home Affairs nor the Prison Department ever received an additional order for Najib's home detention, so there is no situation of the ministry hiding, concealing, or not executing the additional order.
Saifuddin stated at a press conference held today at the ministry that the Pardon Board met on January 29, 2024, and subsequently, the Prison Department received a letter from the Prime Minister's Department's Legal Affairs Division on February 2, which included the Pardon Board's meeting records and decisions, instructing the Prison Department to execute the board's decision.
Saifuddin stated at a press conference held today at the ministry that the Pardon Board met on January 29, 2024, and subsequently, the Prison Department received a letter from the Prime Minister's Department's Legal Affairs Division on February 2, which included the Pardon Board's meeting records and decisions, instructing the Prison Department to execute the board's decision.
He said the Pardon Board meeting was chaired by Pahang Sultan Abdullah, and the instructions given to the Prison Department bore the signatures of the Pardon Board chairman (the then-Yang di-Pertuan Agong) and Minister Zaleha of the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territory).
“According to the Pardon Board's decision, Najib's sentence was reduced to August 23, 2028, and the fine was reduced to RM 50 million. If he fails to pay the fine, the sentence will be extended by one year to August 23, 2029.”
He stated that the letter at the time did not include the additional order for home detention for Najib.
“How is the Prison Department supposed to execute an instruction not contained in the orders?”
When asked if the Pahang Royal Household had communicated with the Ministry of Home Affairs about issuing the additional order, Saifuddin responded that they had not.
On Monday (6th), during Najib's appeal regarding the High Court's rejection of a judicial review of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s pardon, Najib's lawyer Tan Sri Shafee accused the government of not implementing the contents of the pardon order appendix in court.
Saifuddin stated, based on the letter received by the Ministry of Home Affairs, that there was no instruction for home detention, only instructions for reduced sentence and fine.
“I can confirm that there is no additional order for home detention. The Attorney General’s Department, which attended the Pardon Board meeting, also stated this in court.”
When asked about the date of the next Pardon Board meeting, Saifuddin said he was not sure.
The Court of Appeal's panel of three judges today, by a 2-1 majority decision, approved Najib’s application for judicial review of the alleged existence of an additional order for home detention and referred the case back to the Kuala Lumpur High Court for trial.