Najib hasn’t decided on parole yet, lawyer says after failed house arrest bid
by Malay Mail · Borneo Post OnlineKUALA LUMPUR (Dec 22): Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has yet to give instructions on whether he wants to seek for parole as a prisoner, which would be another method that would enable him to serve his ongoing six-year jail time outside of prison.
Najib’s lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah confirmed that the matter of applying for a parole had been discussed with his client, but instructions has not been given yet.
“He has discussed but he has not given instructions,” he told reporters during a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur court complex here.
“I need to get full instructions from him, so I can’t be disclosing on my own what he wants,” he said earlier.
Shafee was asked if Najib would be applying for parole, since he would be eligible to apply as he had already served half of his six-year jail term.
But Shafee replied: “There are other requirements and we are not disclosing it at this moment. There are other requirements of parole.”
Shafee was speaking to the media after the High Court’s decision to reject Najib’s bid to be placed on house arrest.
The High Court ruled that the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s add-on order for Najib’s house arrest was invalid and cannot be carried out, as the order was not made during the Federal Territories Pardons Board meeting and had not complied with the Federal Constitution’s requirements.
Shafee said Najib will be appealing today’s decision, but suggested that there were other methods that could be used such as making another pardon request or seeking for parole.
Under the Prison Act’s Section 46E, a prisoner is eligible to be considered for parole, if he fulfils certain conditions such as having served at least half of his imprisonment (without including the one-third remission granted to prisoners who have good behaviour), and after he has undergone a rehabilitation programme approved by the Commissioner General of Prison during his jail term.
Najib has been serving his six-year jail term since August 2022, which means he is slightly more than halfway through his jail sentence.