KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Najib Razak arrived at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex this afternoon for a pivotal High Court hearing that could determine whether he walks out of prison to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
The former prime minister stepped into the courtroom at 3.16pm, flanked by prison wardens and greeted by an audience of journalists, police officers, and staunch supporters. He took a seat in the front row of the packed public gallery alongside his daughter, Nooryana Najwa, pausing to shake hands with allies before proceedings got underway.
The hearing, presided over by High Court Judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin, follows an urgent bid by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to rectify a discharge order issued on November 6.
That earlier order—granted after Umno settled Najib’s RM50 million fine in the SRC International case—directed his immediate release from prison to serve out the rest of his term at home until August 23, 2028. The move was grounded in a conditional royal pardon granted on September 18 by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.
Within hours of that decision, however, state prosecutors moved to freeze the house arrest transfer, insisting Najib remain in custody while the exact legal effect of the royal pardon is resolved.
The core dispute turns on two conflicting interpretations presented by the AGC:
Partial settlement: Paying the RM50 million fine satisfies only the financial penalty, requiring Najib to complete his remaining jail term under house arrest until August 2028.
Full discharge: The payment marks the absolute completion of the entire SRC sentence, extinguishing the prison term altogether.
The distinction carries massive ramifications for Najib’s legal future. If his SRC sentence is declared fully served, the prison term handed down in his separate 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial—which the court ordered to run consecutively—would trigger immediately.
The High Court previously dismissed Najib’s application for a stay of execution in the 1MDB case on October 14.
Najib is represented by lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, while the prosecution is spearheaded by State Prosecution Director Datuk Mohd Nordin Ismail, Senior Federal Counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly @ Arwi, and Deputy Public Prosecutors Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib, Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam, Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry, and Siti Pervinah Mohamad Yusof. – November 10, 2026