KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak's proposed house arrest will not be affected by the High Court's decision today to dismiss his application to stay his 15-year jail sentence in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case, his lawyer says.
Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the former prime minister could still serve the remainder of his sentence in the SRC International case under house arrest, subject to fulfilling the conditions attached to his pardon, including payment of the RM50 million fine.
He said Najib, 73, would have to return to prison in 2028 if he failed to obtain a stay of his 1MDB sentence by then.
" It does not affect the house arrest. When my client pays RM50 million, he can serve the SRC order until 2028.
"Only in 2028, if he still does not get a stay in the 1MDB case after the house arrest, will he go back to prison," he told reporters.
Shafee also said that Najib had received the royal order concerning his proposed house arrest, together with an appendix outlining its terms and conditions.
He said the contents of the appendix could not be disclosed because Najib had been instructed by prison authorities not to reveal them.
Shafee said the restrictions were intended to prevent public discussion of the conditions attached to the order.
He also said Najib would be allowed to stay with his family at his residence at No. 11, Langgak Duta, under the proposed arrangement.
Earlier, High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin dismissed Najib's application to stay his 15-year prison sentence in the 1MDB case, finding that he had failed to establish any special circumstances warranting a stay pending appeal.
The judge also said that Najib could no longer be considered a first-time offender following his conviction in the SRC International case, which was subsequently upheld by the Federal Court.
On Dec 26 last year, Najib was convicted of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.27 billion in 1MDB funds.
The prison sentences were ordered to run concurrently but would begin only after he completed his existing sentence in the SRC International case.
Najib has appealed against both his conviction and sentence.
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