Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s nearly eight hours away from his home on Friday (Nov 13) were taken up by a hospital appointment, Friday prayers, a Quran study session and a counselling session, the Prisons Department said.
In a statement issued late on Friday night, after media reports that Najib had been seen leaving his house in the morning and returning in the late afternoon, the department said he left his home in Jalan Langgak Duta, Kuala Lumpur, at 10.25am and returned at 6.25pm.
It said the outing covered four scheduled activities: a follow-up appointment at the orthopaedic department of Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Friday prayers at the mosque in Kajang Prison, a Quran study session with a religious teacher from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), and a counselling session with a prison psychology officer.
According to the department, Najib was taken from Kajang Prison at 5.50pm and arrived home 35 minutes later.
The department said all of his movements were tied to specific appointments and needs, followed its standard operating procedures and the conditions of his house arrest, and remained under its supervision and monitoring.
It said religious activities, medical treatment, and rehabilitation and intervention programmes are among the things it takes into account in managing people who are serving their sentences, and that it would continue to make sure all related matters are carried out in an orderly and professional manner.
Najib began serving the rest of his six-year sentence in the SRC International case under house arrest at his Langgak Duta home on Nov 10, after the High Court issued a fresh order giving effect to his conditional pardon. He is due to remain under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, and to return to Kajang Prison the next day to serve his sentence in the 1MDB case.
Under the conditions set out in the Dewan Rakyat by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Nov 12, Najib may live only with his immediate family, visitors need prior written approval, and he may not speak to the media, appear on social media, attend public functions or take part in political activities. He may not leave the premises without written permission, although prison officers may escort him to Friday prayers.
The way Najib’s house arrest is carried out has drawn wide public attention since he left Kajang Prison on Nov 10.