Saifuddin Nasution says Home Ministry awaits Pardons Board letter, no Najib house arrest notification yet

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry and Prisons Department had yet to receive the letter from the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, which serves as the secretariat to the Pardons Board. — Bernama pic

By Julia Chan

First Published: Saturday, 19 Sep 2026 4:07 PM MYT

Last Modified: Saturday, 19 Sep 2026 4:17 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — The Home Ministry is still waiting for the official written notification of the Pardons Board’s reported decision to place former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak under house arrest before deciding on its next course of action.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry and Prisons Department had yet to receive the letter from the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, which serves as the secretariat to the Pardons Board.

“Once we receive the notification, only then will we be clear about what further action we need to take, and the steps towards implementing the decision in accordance with the existing provisions of the law.

“As of now, we have not received anything,” he told reporters in Kulim, Kedah today.

He was visiting the families of four young boys who drowned in Taman Desa Kayangan, Sungai Karangan after trying to retrieve a ball.

Saifuddin said the letter would also clarify whether the Pardons Board had specified the premises where Najib would serve his reported house arrest, or whether the matter had been left to the Prisons Department.

“I need to see the letter first. Currently, Datuk Seri Najib is serving his prison sentence. House arrest means he will not be in prison but at another premises, and there are naturally processes to follow. That is why I said I want to see the letter first,” he said.

He said the ministry would also examine whether the Pardons Board’s decision contained any further instructions or delegated authority to the Prisons Department.

“Based on that letter, we will see whether it is limited to the decision of the Pardons Board, or whether the Board has also given further authority to the Prisons Department. We will examine all of that,” he said.

Saifuddin said Najib was currently still serving his prison sentence, adding that house arrest would mean he was no longer held in prison but instead serve his sentence at another premises, subject to the relevant procedures.

He also referred to the Pardons Board’s previous decision to reduce Najib’s 12-year prison sentence to six years and his RM210 million fine to RM50 million.

Saifuddin said the ministry had subsequently informed Najib that if he paid the reduced RM50 million fine, his release date would be August 23, 2028, while failure to pay would result in a release date of August 23, 2029.

Saifuddin said Malaysia currently had no specific law governing the mechanism for house arrest.

He said he had previously obtained Cabinet agreement in principle to begin the process of introducing a House Arrest Act, but the proposal was initially intended to address prison overcrowding, particularly involving remand prisoners.

Saifuddin said Malaysia currently had 41 prisons housing about 93,000 inmates, against a total capacity of around 75,000.

Under the proposed mechanism, remand prisoners could potentially be placed under house arrest and monitored through modern electronic devices until their trial dates.