Najib cannot pay RM50 million fine as his accounts are frozen, says lawyer

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak cannot afford the RM50 million fine he must pay before he can serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest, his lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said.

Najib's bank accounts remain frozen, Shafee said, including an Affin Bank account that previously received his salary and allowances as prime minister and Pekan MP.

"As of today, Najib himself cannot afford to pay it. He is unable to pay," he told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex today.

Shafee said his client was in a bind, as he was required to pay the fine but did not have the money.

He was speaking after proceedings on Najib's application to stay the execution of his prison sentence and fine in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.

Official letter yet to arrive

Shafee also said the defence team and Najib had yet to receive the official letter on the conditional pardon, a week after the decision was announced on Sept 18.

The Prisons Department, he said, had also not received the document from the Pardons Board.

He described the delay as strange, saying it was holding up the legal team's next steps because the full conditions set out in the official document were still unknown.

UMNO fund and payment at court

Asked about the Tabung Solidariti Najib Razak launched by UMNO, Shafee said he had no information on how much had been collected. He stressed that Najib had never asked the public to contribute towards the fine.

UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said earlier that the fund had reached RM1 million by the morning of Sept 19. No updated total has been announced.

On Sept 21, Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said Najib's family had yet to settle the fine. Payment must be made at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Registrar's Office, he said, while the standard operating procedures for the house arrest would be issued by the Prisons Department.

He added that he could not say exactly when Najib would be brought home once payment was made, as the process might take some time.

Still in Kajang Prison

On Sept 18, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, consented to a conditional pardon allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of the RM50 million fine and compliance with other conditions.

The pardon is void if any condition is breached, in which case Najib must serve the rest of his sentence in prison.

Najib, 73, has been serving his sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million belonging to SRC International.