Rafizi Ramli has urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and senior Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders to publicly disclose the full conditions of Najib Razak’s conditional house arrest, saying the public deserves transparency on the matter.
In a statement on 18 September, the Parti Bersama Malaysia leader said the responsibility to explain the arrangement falls on Anwar and PH leadership from PKR, DAP and Amanah, not on the legal affairs division of the Prime Minister’s Department, NST reported.
“This is not a political matter, but a debt that Anwar and PH owe to the people over 1MDB, especially the unnamed individuals who took great risks in carrying out their daily duties until this issue became public knowledge,” Rafizi said.
The former economy minister noted that the 1MDB scandal persuaded some Malaysians who had never voted for PH to support the coalition in the 2018 general election. He pointed out that Anwar himself benefited from public outrage over the scandal, despite being in prison during the peak of the crisis between 2015 and 2018.
“At the very least, Anwar should announce the conditions of Najib’s house arrest in detail so that action can be taken if there is any clear violation,” Rafizi said, calling on ordinary Malaysians to act as the eyes and ears of society to ensure the arrangement is enforced strictly, FMT reported.
Najib was granted a conditional pardon by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest until 23 August 2028. The pardon is subject to payment of his RM50 million fine and compliance with other conditions. The legal affairs division of the Prime Minister’s Department said the former prime minister must comply with all conditions imposed, failing which the conditional pardon would be revoked.
Rafizi said reactions to the conditional pardon would understandably vary among Malaysians, with some angry, some disappointed and others happy. He urged that the house arrest process be carried out quietly going forward to avoid provoking further public reaction.
“To Najib, his family and their supporters, I hope they understand that the wound from the 1MDB scandal runs deep for most Malaysians,” he said.
Malaysia’s legal experts have described the arrangement as uncharted territory. Constitutional lawyer Lim Wei Jiet said no specific laws exist in Malaysia to implement home detention, though the Home Minister has the power to designate any location as a detention centre. Criminal lawyer S Sivananthan said the case could set a precedent, with other prisoners, particularly those convicted of white-collar offences, seeking similar treatment.
The political fallout extends beyond Rafizi’s call. DAP chief Anthony Loke said the party respects the king’s power of pardon but will continue defending the rule of law and the fight against corruption, while UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced a nationwide donation drive to help raise the RM50 million fine. Political analyst James Chin described the development as a bad look for Anwar’s government, noting it perpetuates the notion that Malaysia has a culture of impunity.
Najib is currently serving a six-year prison term for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million belonging to SRC International. He faces a separate 15-year sentence and RM11.38 billion fine in another 1MDB case, which is under appeal.
