Najib to pay RM50m fine today? Lawyer says no instructions yet

The rumour mill was sent spinning today after media reports emerged speculating that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak would be paying his RM50 million fine today.

However, one of Najib's lawyers told Malaysiakini that they have yet to receive any instructions from the former Pekan MP to do so.

Paying the fine for his SRC International case is the only thing in between Najib and his return home to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

Earlier, the New Straits Times and Berita Harian - which have the same parent company - cited a source saying that Najib's representatives would pay the fine at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

When contacted, lawyer Farhan Shafee said if the fine were to be paid, it would be done by Najib's legal team, which he is a part of.

"So far, there have been no instructions from the client," he mentioned.

Najib was initially sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and a RM210 million fine in 2020 after being found guilty of criminal breach of trust, money laundering, and abuse of power in the RM42 million SRC International case.

In 2024, this sentence was reduced by the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, to six years in prison and a RM50 million fine.

Then in September, the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, granted Najib clemency in the form of house arrest - subject to him paying the RM50 million fine.

Umno launches fundraiser

Subsequently, Umno began a fundraiser to help Najib pay the fine. Family members have said that they are not able to afford the RM50 million.

As of yesterday, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the Umno fundraiser, which collects between RM5,000 and RM10,000 daily, was still short of its intended target. However, he did not specify the latest total.

It was last reported to have reached RM9.25 million on Sept 27.

If Najib pays the fine today and gets to go home, the terms of his house arrest remain shrouded in secrecy.

His main lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, said Najib has received the Prison Department’s standard operating procedures (SOP) for his house arrest but was told to keep it secret.

The procedures for the former premier are understood to be different from the terms that the government is still drafting under planned legislation for house arrests.

READ MORE: Rayer: Prison Dept must spell out Najib’s house arrest dos and don’ts

However, even if Najib gets to go home today, his stay might be short lived.

On Oct 14, the High Court had rejected his application to postpone the execution of his sentences for 1MDB-related charges - meaning that unless this is overturned on appeal, he will have to go back to prison once the SRC term ends on Aug 23, 2028.

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