Najib's RM50 Million Fine Sparks New Speculation as Lawyer Says No Payment Instructions Received
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Speculation that former Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would settle his RM50 million court fine on Wednesday prompted renewed attention to his conditional house-arrest arrangement, but his legal team said it had received no instructions to proceed with payment.
Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, addressed reporters following media reports suggesting that representatives of the former prime minister were preparing to make the payment.
The fine is a key condition attached to the arrangement allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his reduced prison sentence under house detention.
Legal team disputes payment expectations
Shafee said he had not received instructions from Najib regarding the proposed payment and could not confirm that it would take place on November 4.
Another member of the defence team, Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, also said he was uncertain about the payment's status.
Earlier reports had cited unnamed sources suggesting that Najib's representatives would settle the amount at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
However, those reports did not establish that the payment had actually been completed.
Background to the RM50 million fine
Najib was convicted in July 2020 on seven charges connected to RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court sentenced him to 12 years in prison and imposed a RM210 million fine.
His conviction and sentence were subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2021 and the Federal Court in August 2022.
In January 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board reduced his prison sentence to six years and lowered the fine to RM50 million.
Conditional house arrest announced in September
On September 18, 2026, a conditional pardon granted by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim was announced.
Under the arrangement, Najib would be allowed to serve the remainder of the applicable reduced sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, provided the stipulated conditions were met.
Payment of the RM50 million fine is one of those conditions.
The announcement did not mean Najib could immediately leave prison without satisfying the financial requirement and completing the necessary procedures.
UMNO fundraising campaign continues
UMNO previously launched a public fundraising campaign to help its former president raise the required amount.
Party secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki indicated that the campaign had not yet reached the RM50 million target.
Najib's lawyers have also previously referred to restrictions affecting certain assets and accounts when explaining the difficulty of arranging payment.
Attorney-General explains the outstanding condition
On November 1, Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said the Attorney-General's Chambers had not received confirmation that Najib had fulfilled the payment requirement.
He also explained that no specific payment deadline had been imposed.
Nevertheless, Najib would remain in prison while the fine remained outstanding.
As of the reports reviewed on November 4, there was no confirmed completion of the payment.
Any change to Najib's detention arrangements will require further official confirmation rather than relying solely on reports of an anticipated settlement.
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