MELAKA: The government has been urged to clarify the rules governing house arrest for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to ensure the public understands its legal basis and the restrictions imposed.
Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said it remained unclear whether house arrest was governed by specific regulations similar to those imposed on prison inmates.
He said the public should know whether individuals under house arrest were free to do as they pleased or subject to certain restrictions, including limits on their physical movements.
“We have previously issued a statement saying that we did not understand what house arrest meant. Does it follow rules similar to those in prison?
“As far as I remember, there is no specific law governing the regulations for house arrest.
“Are those under house arrest free to do whatever they want, or are they restricted? Are there restrictions, both in terms of physical movement and the manner in which they are detained at home?” he said.
He was speaking after attending a programme to engage with residents at the Sungai Udang state constituency in the Tangga Batu parliamentary constituency here today.
Also present were Bersatu vice-president Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, information chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz and the party’s Sungai Udang candidate, Major (Rtd) Abdullah Mahadi.
Najib was reported to have paid the RM50 million fine imposed on him in the SRC International Sdn Bhd fund misappropriation case at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Registry today.
On Sept 18, the former Pekan member of parliament received a conditional pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028.
Najib, 73, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million after being found guilty by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 28, 2020, on seven charges relating to the misappropriation of RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd.
On Aug 23, 2022, the Federal Court dismissed Najib’s final appeal and upheld his conviction and sentence. He began serving his prison sentence at Kajang Prison on the same day.
Muhyiddin, who is also a former prime minister, further called on the government, particularly the Home Ministry, to provide a legally grounded explanation of how house arrest would be implemented so that the public could understand the arrangement.
He said that if there was no specific legislation governing house arrest, the government should draft the necessary provisions and table them in Parliament.
“If a specific law is needed, it should be drafted and tabled in Parliament. But for now, I do not know what legal basis or regulations are being used to allow house arrest to be implemented,” he said.