PUTRAJAYA, Jan 6 — The Prisons Department never received a directive from the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya Pardons Board to allow Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said that on February 2 last year, the Prisons Department only received meeting minutes and an order to implement the decision made by the board at its meeting on January 29 last year.
He added that the directive, signed by then Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, and witnessed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa, merely instructed the Prisons Department to cut Najib’s prison sentence to August 23, 2028, and cut his fine to RM50 million.
The order also said if the fine is unpaid, Najib’s prison sentence will be extended by another year, making his release date August 23, 2029, he said.
“The letter received by the Prisons Department does not mention house arrest. As a department tasked with implementing the directive, the Prisons Department must act with integrity in executing this order.
“It is important to clarify that the Home Ministry (KDN) and the Prisons Department have not concealed any decision made by the Pardons Board or failed to comply with it. We only act based on authentic and official directives, as received,” he said at a special press conference here today.
Saifuddin Nasution also confirmed the minutes of the Pardons Board meeting received by his ministry contained no directive or information on the house arrest.
“With this clarification, I hope to make it clear that the Home Ministry has fully carried out Tuanku’s (Al-Sultan Abdullah’s) directive as ordered through the official directive of the Pardons Board.
“Any claims to the contrary are untrue,” he said.
Today, the Court of Appeal, in a two-one majority decision, remitted the case concerning Najib’s claim about the existence of a royal addendum — allegedly allowing him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest — to the High Court for a hearing on its merits.
Najib, 71, was appealing the decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 3 last year, which rejected his application for leave to initiate a judicial review of the Royal Addendum, purportedly issued by the Al-Sultan Abdullah.
— Bernama
