KUALA LUMPUR: The daughter of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has spoken out for the first time following the announcement of his conditional pardon and home detention order.
In an Instagram post on Sunday (Sept 20), Nooryana Najwa, popularly known as Yana Najib, said the family respected the decision of the Pardons Board, which allows Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of the fine.
"Not at the moment," she said in her post.
She said Najib had been informed through his lawyers that funds raised for the RM50mil fine would be paid through official channels.
She said the family understands that the fine will have to be paid to the court, the receipt issued and handed to the Prisons Department before obtaining a release order for house arrest.
Nooryana said the family visited Najib on Saturday and he was touched by the response to the fundraising effort.
She said Najib told her he did not expect so many people were willing to contribute and he would "never force it on anyone".
She thanked Umno for leading efforts to collect funds and said that contributions were voluntary.
The Prisons Department is expected to issue standard operating procedures on Najib's house arrest, including matters involving visits, security and monitoring of his movements.
Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said Najib would first have to pay the RM50mil fine at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Registrar's Office before the house arrest process could proceed.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, granted Najib a conditional pardon on Sept 18, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of the RM50mil fine.
RM634,000 was raised within the first three hours after Umno launched the fund on Saturday, said secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
