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The Home Ministry acts solely as the implementing agency for the Pardons Board’s decisions and does not decide or comment on prisoners’ pardon petitions, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Nov 14.
“[T]he right to submit a pardon petition already exists under the law and is open to anyone, regardless of position or wealth. Whether it is the small man, the big man, the rich, the poor, a VIP, or an ordinary citizen, that right already exists under the law,” Saifuddin told reporters after an event in Sitiawan, Perak, as reported by The Edge Malaysia.
Saifuddin emphasized that once a petition is submitted, jurisdiction shifts entirely to the federal Pardons Board or the ruling Sultan at the state level. The Home Ministry’s scope is strictly operational.
“So, whether or not the pardon petition is discussed, considered, and decided upon, that is not within the Home Ministry’s scope of responsibility. But if a decision is made, our job is to carry it out. Whether the sentence is reduced, revoked, the person is released or placed at home, our job is to carry it out,” Saifuddin said.
The debate over home detention intensified after former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was moved from Kajang Prison to his residence in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 10 to serve the remainder of his sentence in the SRC International case under house arrest. The Kuala Lumpur High Court had permitted the move effective until Aug 23, 2028.
The development followed a conditional pardon granted by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar in September. A previous royal pardon in 2024 had already reduced Najib’s original 12-year jail sentence to six years and trimmed his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.
In August 2022, the Federal Court upheld Najib’s conviction on seven charges involving the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds. In a separate proceeding last December, the High Court convicted him on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving 1MDB funds, sentencing him to 15 years in prison and an RM11.38 billion fine, a decision that remains under appeal.
Amid public discussion and police reports regarding the house arrest, The Star reported that Saifuddin stated he would raise a proposal during the cabinet meeting on Friday to declassify the Pardons Board meeting minutes relating to Najib’s transfer. Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had recommended the disclosure to provide transparency and clarity on the process.
Should the appeal or stay application against the 1MDB sentence fail, Najib is scheduled to return to prison once his SRC jail term concludes in August 2028.
