THERE was little activity outside Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s residence in Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta, this morning, with no vehicles seen entering or leaving the property as questions remained over when the former prime minister could move to house arrest.
A two-hour observation beginning at 8 am found several media personnel waiting outside the residence, although some had left by the time the observation ended.
The subdued scene follows the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) call yesterday to put the implementation of Najib’s house arrest on hold until the legal implications of his conditional pardon are clarified.
The AGC said there were two possible interpretations of the pardon granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim on September 18.
Under the first, payment of the RM50 million fine in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case would settle only the financial penalty, leaving Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence until August 23, 2028, under house arrest.
The second interpretation is that payment of the fine could mean his entire sentence, including the prison term, has been discharged.
Pending clarification, the AGC said Najib should remain at Kajang Prison to avoid any uncertainty over the implementation of the royal pardon and the court order.
The dispute surfaced after Najib, 73, settled the RM50 million fine using funds raised by Umno through its Tabung Solidariti Najib Razak.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki confirmed the payment after the matter was completed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday.
Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, later confirmed that the court had issued a house arrest order following the payment.
He said the order would be forwarded to Kajang Prison for further action, although several procedures remained before Najib could return home.
His legal team has rejected the AGC’s position.
In a statement, Shafee & Co maintained that all conditions attached to the conditional pardon had been fulfilled, arguing that there was no legal basis to keep Najib in prison after the fine was settled and the court issued its order.
The firm urged the Prisons Department to proceed with the house arrest arrangement and called on the Attorney-General to withdraw the AGC statement.
Meanwhile, Najib’s residence in Jalan Langgak Duta was gazetted as a prison under Section 3 of the Prisons Act 1995, effective yesterday.
The gazette, issued by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, covers the residence and its surrounding land, measuring 4,558.975 square metres.
Despite the gazette and the court order, Najib’s return home remains unresolved as the AGC and his legal team take opposing positions on the effect of the conditional pardon. - November 7, 2026
