KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak was relieved after the High Court ordered him to serve the remainder of his SRC International sentence under house arrest, his lawyer said today.
Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the former prime minister had been waiting for the move and was expected to be transferred from Kajang Prison to his Jalan Langgak Duta residence by the end of the day.
“It looks like it is a final relief, you know, a great sigh to him because he has been waiting for this,” Shafee said when asked about Najib’s reaction.
The lawyer also thanked His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, for granting Najib a conditional royal pardon.
“We have written to him a number of times. But he has considered our client’s matter carefully.
“And we want to thank him for having given Najib the house arrest that he really needs,” he said.
Earlier, High Court judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin ordered Najib to serve the remainder of his reduced six-year prison sentence at his Jalan Langgak Duta residence until Aug 23, 2028, in accordance with the conditional pardon granted on Sept 18.
Aslam set aside the Nov 6 order allowing Najib’s release upon payment of a fine and replaced it with today’s order after hearing submissions from both parties.