KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 20): Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he is still looking for ways to pay the fine previously imposed to meet the terms of his conditional pardon.
Until the fine of RM50 million is paid to the court, Najib will remain in Kajang Prison, according to a statement issued by his counsel Shafee & Co on Sunday. However, a “significant part” of his assets, bank accounts and properties remains frozen by authorities, the firm noted.
“In those circumstances, our client is presently taking advice and considering his options as to how best to give effect to the condition,” the statement read.
The statement follows another royal clemency for Najib twice convicted of serious crimes. He was allowed house arrest until August 2028 following a Pardons Board meeting on Friday chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
Since then, Umno has launched a donation drive to help the party’s former president pay the fine.
Najib said he is grateful to the King for the mercy and thanked leaders as well as members of Umno for their support, according to Shafee & Co.
Najib and his legal team are studying the undisclosed terms of the conditional pardon, the law firm noted.
“Our client thanks his family, his friends and all those who have kept him in their prayers and asks that his family’s privacy be respected,” Shafee & Co said, adding that the firm will not be commenting further for now.
Najib has been in jail since August 2022 after being proven guilty at all levels of the judiciary. He also has numerous ongoing civil cases.
The original sentence over the theft of RM42 million that belonged to SRC International Sdn Bhd was 12 years in jail and a RM210 million fine, before the punishment was lessened in 2024 by the previous king Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
Najib had also been found guilty in a separate, more serious 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case and was sentenced to 15 years in jail that will run after he finishes serving time for the SRC conviction. The 1MDB case is now on appeal.
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