Kuala Lumpur — Datuk Seri Najib Razak is reportedly unable to pay the RM50 million fine required as part of his conditional pardon, according to his lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. The fine must be settled before Najib can serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.

Speaking at a press conference following a case management hearing at the High Court related to Najib’s stay application in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial, Muhammad Shafee said Najib’s bank accounts, including an Affin Bank account where he received his salaries as a former prime minister and Member of Parliament, have been frozen. For this reason, Najib currently lacks the funds to meet the financial obligation.

Muhammad Shafee addressed public speculation about Najib’s ability to pay the fine, stating that the former premier himself is financially unable to do so. He rejected criticisms questioning the missing billions from the 1MDB scandal, describing such inquiries as uninformed. The lawyer pointed to court testimonies indicating that Najib did not possess the said money and noted that funds alleged to be from 1MDB had been returned to the original accounts, which Najib believed were donations from Saudi Arabia.

The lawyer also clarified that Najib has not directly solicited donations from the public for the fine, although others have undertaken fundraising efforts on his behalf. He described Najib’s position as a dilemma, emphasizing that while the fine must be paid, Najib currently does not have the means.

Earlier this month, Umno president and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced a nationwide donation campaign to help Najib pay the RM50 million fine. Reports indicated that the fundraising exceeded RM1 million within a day, though Muhammad Shafee was unable to provide an updated figure.

Najib was convicted in the RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd case and originally sentenced by the High Court to 12 years’ imprisonment along with a RM210 million fine. In 2024, Malaysia’s Pardons Board reduced his jail term by half and lowered the fine to RM50 million. On September 18, Najib was granted a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, contingent upon fulfilling several conditions including settlement of the fine.