Malaysia’s ex-PM Najib yet to pay $15.7 million house arrest fine, will remain in prison

KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Najib Razak has yet to pay the 50 million ringgit (S$15.7 million) fine imposed on him in the SRC International case, says attorney-general Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar.As reported by Sinar Harian, Mohd Dusuki said the latest information received by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) showed that the payment remained outstanding.“So far, the information we have received indicates that Datuk Seri Najib has yet to make the payment. That is the latest update,” he told reporters after launching the AGC Sekolah Angkat Madani programme at SK Pasir Hor in Kota Baru on Nov 1.Mohd Dusuki said there was no specific deadline for Najib to settle the fine.Asked whether Najib would have to remain in prison until the fine was paid, he confirmed that this was the case.On Sept 18, it was reported that the King of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim had granted Najib a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028.The order, however, was conditional upon Najib paying the 50 million ringgit fine.The Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division said the decision was made at the 64th meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya at Istana Negara.Najib was sentenced by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in July 2020 to 12 years’ jail and fined 210 million ringgit after being convicted on seven charges involving 42 million ringgit in SRC International funds.The conviction and sentence were upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2021 and the Federal Court in August 2022.At its 61st meeting on Jan 29, 2024, the Pardons Board reduced Najib’s prison term from 12 years to six and his fine from 210 million ringgit to 50 million ringgit.Separately, on Dec 26, 2025, the High Court sentenced Najib to 15 years’ jail and fined him 11.4 billion ringgit after finding him guilty of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving 2.3 billion ringgit in 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds.The jail term is to begin after he completes his sentence in the SRC International case.Najib filed an appeal against the conviction and sentence on Dec 29, 2025.In a separate civil case, the High Court on March 31 ordered Najib to pay about US$1.3 billion (S$1.6 billion) to SRC International after finding that he had breached his fiduciary duties, abused his position and misappropriated company funds for personal gain.The High Court subsequently granted a stay of execution on the payment pending Najib’s appeal.Najib is also facing a separate 42 million ringgit civil suit brought by SRC International and its subsidiary Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd.He is also a defendant in a US$5.64 billion civil suit filed by 1MDB and four of its subsidiaries.Both cases remain before the courts. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK