Nooryana disappointed as Najib's house arrest transfer is deferred

 

Najib's daughter says the family had prepared to welcome him home after the RM50 million fine was paid and a High Court order was received, but the AGC's position dashed their hopes. NSTP/FILE PIC

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's daughter, Nooryana Najwa, has expressed disappointment over the Attorney-General's Chambers' (AGC) call to temporarily defer her father's transfer to house arrest.

However, Nooryana said she would leave legal matters to Najib's lawyers and declined to comment further on the legal issues.

She said the family had expected today to be a happy occasion and had prepared to welcome her father home.

However, she said it was not to be for the family tonight.

"Since this morning, my family and I have been in constant contact with various parties to ensure everything went smoothly so that my father could return home today.

"As reported by the media, the RM50 million fine was paid to the court by Umno at about noon today.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the Datuk Seri Najib Solidarity Fund.

"Whether the contributions were large or small, each one means a great deal to my family.

"It clearly shows how many people love and support Datuk Seri Najib," she said in a social media post tonight.

Nooryana said she had waited outside the court this morning and that, after the payment was made, the family received a court order for Najib's release into house arrest.

"The order was then taken to Kajang Prison and, as we understood from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim's conditional pardon order, payment of the RM50 million fine was the main condition for (Datuk Seri) Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

"The RM50 million payment had been made. We were then informed that the prison authorities would bring my father home after receiving the court order.

"Initially, we were told it would be at 5pm, then the time changed to 8.30pm. So we waited.

"But at about 2pm, we received information that the Home Ministry was trying to defer my father's release.

"Nevertheless, our family remained confident because we understood that, procedurally, the court order that had been issued should have been sufficient.

"But eventually, the Attorney-General's Chambers issued a statement calling for the process to be deferred," she said.

Nooryana questioned why any additional conditions had not been communicated earlier and why the RM50 million payment had been accepted if obstacles remained.

"What happened reminds us of our previous experience with the addendum order. There were repeated changes and uncertainty, with one deferment after another.

"Every time we thought my father was getting closer to coming home, another obstacle emerged. Until when?

"We are only asking for justice and transparency. We want Sultan Ibrahim's decree to be respected and the rule of law upheld.

"To daddy. I know you are not watching this tonight. But I hope you know that we are doing everything we can to bring you home.

"We know you miss this family and we miss you too," she said.

Earlier, Umno confirmed that it had completed the payment process at the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning, fulfilling a condition for Najib to serve his sentence under house arrest.

The A-GC subsequently said implementation of the house arrest arrangement should be temporarily deferred to obtain further clarification on the interpretation of the conditional pardon granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, Najib's legal team, Messrs Shafee and Co, confirmed that he had yet to be released from Kajang Prison to serve his sentence under house arrest. - NST