AG Seeks Audience With King Over Najib House Arrest

Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar has requested an audience with His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim over the delayed house arrest of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday (Nov 7).

Anwar told reporters in Shah Alam, after launching the National Family Month celebrations at the Selangor International Trade Centre, that the King’s power to grant pardons was not in dispute. He said the problem lay in a legal question tied to Najib’s separate 1MDB case, which needed to be clarified by the courts, and that this could take a few days once referred.

Malay Mail quoted Anwar as saying “this is not the prime minister’s jurisdiction.”

AG to apologise and explain legal issue

In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the Prime Minister’s Office said the AG had requested the audience that day to apologise and to state his position on complying with the King’s decree on the conditional pardon.

The PMO said the AG would also explain the legal matter arising from the High Court’s Order of Discharge, issued after the RM50 million fine was paid, which it said has to be decided by the courts.

Scoop, citing Bernama, reported that Anwar instructed the AG to seek the audience immediately, and that Anwar said there were complications because a second case was involved.

Istana Negara says Najib house arrest decree is clear

Earlier on Saturday, Istana Negara said in a statement that Sultan Ibrahim’s order allowing Najib to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest was clear and without ambiguity, and that the royal prerogative of pardon must be respected.

The palace said all conditions of the conditional pardon had been fulfilled, that the order was not linked to any other case, and that any attempt to challenge it would amount to disobeying the King’s decree.

It said the Federal Territories Pardons Board considered Najib’s petition on Sept 18 under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, at a meeting attended by the Federal Territories minister and the Attorney General.

AGC denies defying the King

The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), in its own statement on Saturday, rejected claims that it had defied the King. It said it did not dispute or seek to suspend the pardon, and that its call to defer Najib’s transfer from Kajang Prison was meant to resolve legal uncertainty.

According to the AGC, the court must determine whether Najib’s SRC International sentence is still in force, in which case the remainder is served under the pardon, or has ended, which would raise the question of when his 15-year 1MDB sentence begins. That sentence was ordered to start after the SRC term.

Najib, 73, has been jailed since August 2022 over the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International. The Sept 18 conditional pardon allows him to serve the rest of his term under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028. As of Saturday, he remained at Kajang Prison.

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