KUALA LUMPUR: Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has warned that any attempt to delay former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest would amount to defiance of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree.
He urged all parties to respect the King’s constitutional powers of pardon under Article 42(1) and (2) of the Federal Constitution.
“Respect the decree and pardoning powers of His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Do not defy the King,” he said in a Facebook post.
Asyraf said the King, through the Pardons Board, had already made a decision and imposed conditions that had since been fulfilled.
“What is the need to further delay the implementation of house arrest when the fine has been paid in full?” he asked.
He said any attempt to delay the implementation of the King’s decree and the Pardons Board’s decision would constitute an act of defiance and an infringement of rights guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.
His remarks came after the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said the implementation of Najib’s house arrest should be temporarily deferred pending clarification of legal issues surrounding his conditional royal pardon.
The A-GC said questions had arisen over whether payment of Najib’s RM50 million fine meant he should continue serving the remainder of his SRC International prison sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, or whether the sentence should be considered completed.
It said the interpretation would also affect the implementation of Najib’s separate prison sentence in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case, which is due to begin after the completion of his SRC International sentence.
The A-GC said Najib’s detention status should remain unchanged pending further legal clarification.
It stressed that the proposed deferment was not intended to challenge or set aside the King’s decree, but to ensure that the conditional pardon and relevant court orders were implemented correctly.
Earlier today, Umno confirmed that it had settled Najib’s RM50 million fine at the Kuala Lumpur High Court using contributions collected through the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund.
Najib’s legal team subsequently confirmed that the High Court had issued an order for him to serve the remainder of his SRC International sentence under house arrest.
The conditional pardon granted on Sept 18 allows Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence at home until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of the fine and compliance with the stipulated conditions.