Pending US$12.3 million house arrest fine keeps Malaysia’s Najib in prison

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said on Sunday that he would remain in Kajang Prison as he and his legal team study the conditions attached to his “conditional pardon”, including the payment of a 50 million ringgit (US$12.3 million) fine before he can be transferred to house arrest.In a statement issued on his behalf by Messrs Shafee & Co, Najib said his transfer to house arrest depended on the conditions of the pardon being fulfilled.“Until the fine is paid to the court, our client remains in Kajang Prison. Our client and our legal team are presently studying those terms and their practical implications,” the statement said on Sunday.The statement said a significant part of Najib’s assets, bank accounts and properties remained subject to freezing orders and enforcement proceedings by the government.“As their disposal is not presently within his sole control, his ability to satisfy the condition therefore turns in part on matters that do not lie in his own hands,” it said.Najib was taking legal advice and considering his options on how best to meet the condition, it added.Malaysia’s ⁠Prisons Department said ⁠in a statement on Sunday that it and the home affairs ministry were waiting for official written confirmation ‌of the pardon before taking any action. By law, the home affairs minister has the power to gazette ‌any premises ‌as a prison, which could be used to designate Najib’s home as ‌a place to serve his sentence.