Malaysian Bar to challenge Najib's second pardon, seeks disclosure of house arrest costs

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar will challenge the decision and advice of the Pardons Board on the second pardon granted to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, which allows him to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

Its president, Anand Raj, said in a statement yesterday that the Bar would also maintain its appeal over the Pardons Board's decision and advice on Najib's first pardon.

The announcement sets out a planned course of action. No challenge has yet been filed or decided by the courts.

The Bar also urged the Federal Territories Pardons Board and the Prime Minister's Department to release the official minutes of the meetings behind both pardon decisions.

It further called for the full conditions of the house arrest to be disclosed, including how Najib will be monitored, which authority will enforce the conditions, and the cost to taxpayers.

According to Anand Raj, there appear to be no standard operating procedures or guidelines in place for "house arrests" in the country, Malay Mail reported.

Who pays, who watches

The Bar's demands touch on questions that have not been answered publicly since the conditional pardon was announced on Sept 18.

So far, the official information released is that Najib may serve the rest of his sentence in the SRC International case under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of a RM50 million fine and compliance with other conditions.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said earlier that the standard operating procedures for the house arrest would be issued by the Prisons Department. The detailed conditions, monitoring method and estimated cost, however, have not been announced.

Najib's lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said on Sept 25 that the defence team and the Prisons Department had yet to receive the official letter on the pardon.

The challenge to the first pardon

The Bar adopted a joint statement issued on Sept 22 by 37 civil society groups and 387 individuals on the same matter.

On April 26, 2024, the Bar filed a judicial review challenging Najib's first pardon. The High Court refused leave on Nov 11, 2024, and the Court of Appeal is scheduled to decide on the Bar's appeal on Jan 7, 2027.