KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak has withdrawn his legal attempt to be placed under house arrest following his conviction in the RM42mil SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
Based on court papers sighted by The Star, Najib, through Messrs Shafee & Co, filed a Notice of Discontinuance at the Court of Appeal dated April 3.
Najib, who is currently serving jail time at the Sungai Buloh prison, initially wanted to appeal a High Court decision that dismissed his judicial review application where he claimed a royal addendum order would have allowed him to serve his prison time under house arrest.
In the notice of discontinuance, Najib only stated the following:
“Please take note that the appellant named above wishes to terminate and withdraw this appeal against the respondents without liberty to file afresh and with no order as to costs.”
The document did not state any reason for the withdrawal.
Najib, a former prime minister, is currently serving the sentence imposed by the High Court that found him guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering in relation to RM42mil siphoned from SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary.
In the high-profile SRC case, Najib failed to overturn his conviction and sentence as he exhausted his appeals, prompting him to apply for a pardon.
On Feb 2, 2024, the Board announced that it had reduced Najib’s initial 12-year jail sentence and RM210mil fine to six years and a RM50mil fine.
According to the Board’s statement, Najib will be released on Aug 23, 2028 and the fine has been reduced to RM50mil from RM210mil.
“However, if the fine is not paid, a year will be added to the jail term, and the release date will then be on Aug 23, 2029,” it said.
Two months later, on April 1, 2024, Najib filed an application for leave for judicial review, claiming that there was a royal addendum order that would have allowed him to serve his prison time under house arrest.
He named the Home Minister, the Commissioner-General of Prisons, the Attorney General, the Federal Territories Pardons Board, the Minister at the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), director-general of legal affairs at the Prime Minister’s Department and the government as the respondents.
In the application, Najib sought an order demanding the respondents to execute the royal order and move him from the Kajang Prison to his residence in Kuala Lumpur, to serve his remaining sentence under house arrest.
On Dec 22, 2025, the High Court dismissed Najib's judicial review on the grounds that the addendum order did not comply with Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, and consequently became invalid.
