KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry is awaiting the official written notification on the Pardons Board’s decision concerning the conditional pardon for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, before taking any further action.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry and the Prisons Department had yet to receive any official notification on the decision.
“We are waiting for the official notification. Usually, it will be issued by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, which acts as the secretariat to the Pardons Board,” he told reporters in Kulim, Kedah, yesterday.
Saifuddin Nasution said the written notification would clarify the next steps to be taken by the ministry and the Prisons Department in accordance with existing laws.
On the reported decision to allow Najib to serve his sentence under house arrest, Saifuddin Nasution said the ministry needs to examine the official document to determine the details and conditions attached to the decision.
“We will see from the Pardons Board’s decision whether it specifies the premises or leaves the matter to the Prisons Department.
“That is why I want to see the letter first,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution said house arrest meant an individual would serve a sentence at a designated premises instead of a prison but stressed that the implementation process would depend on the terms of the Pardons Board’s written decision.
He said the ministry would also determine whether the Pardons Board had only made a decision or had given further authority to the Prisons Department to implement it.
“We want to see whether there are other decisions that were considered, discussed and subsequently made. All these details will be conveyed to us in writing.”
On whether Malaysia currently had a specific law governing house arrest, Saifuddin Nasution said there was no such legislation at present.
He said the government had previously considered introducing a House Arrest Act, particularly to address the issue of overcrowding in prisons involving remand prisoners.
“I had previously obtained Cabinet’s agreement in principle to begin the process of tabling a House Arrest Bill in Parliament to address prison overcrowding,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution explained that prison inmates generally comprised two categories – those who had been convicted and were serving sentences, and remand prisoners who had yet to complete their court proceedings.
He said some remand prisoners could not be granted bail because of the nature of the charges, while others remained in custody because they were unable to meet their bail conditions.
The combination of convicted prisoners and remand detainees had contributed to overcrowding in the country’s prisons, he said.
“There are currently 41 prisons, but the prison population is about 93,000, while our capacity is 75,000.
“So we can see the extent of the overcrowding,” he added.
He said the proposed legislation, if approved by Parliament, would allow certain remand prisoners to serve their detention at home while being monitored through modern electronic devices until their trial dates.
