House arrest Bill excludes convicts, only for remand detainees, Home Ministry tells Dewan Rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — A Bill on house detention is in its final stage of review, but it is aimed at remand prisoners and not convicted inmates, the Home Ministry told Parliament, even as a similar arrangement is being prepared for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

In a written parliamentary reply tabled on Tuesday, the ministry said it is drafting a house detention Bill that focuses on remand prisoners.

“[At] present there is no specific legal provision under the Home Ministry or the Malaysian Prisons Department that allows a prisoner to serve a prison sentence at their own residence through a house detention mechanism.

“In this regard, the Home Ministry is drafting a Bill on house detention that focuses on remand prisoners, which is now at the final stage of review by the Home Ministry and the Attorney General’s Chambers,” the ministry said.

The reply was to a question from Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham, who asked under which legal provision a prisoner may be allowed to serve a sentence at home.

The reply pointed instead to Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, saying a prisoner may be considered for a pardon, a reduction or commutation of sentence, or a stay of execution, subject to the Pardons Board and the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a Ruler or a Yang di-Pertua Negeri.

It added that a Conditional Pardon, a prerogative power exercised on the advice of the Pardons Board, “must be distinguished” from a house detention order under a specific law. The ministry did not name any individual.

The reply comes after Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Oct 18 that the Prisons Department was in the final phase of drafting regulations and conditions to implement house arrest for Najib.

The King granted Najib a conditional pardon last month allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence at home until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of a RM50 million fine.

Saifuddin said at the time that the country had never had house arrest before, and that a letter from the Pardons Board secretariat allowed the Prisons Department to impose any conditions. He said Najib remained in Kajang Prison because the fine had not been paid.

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吉隆坡，10 月 28 日——内政部告诉国会，一项关于居家监禁的法案已进入最后审查阶段，但该法案针对的是还押犯人，而不是已定罪的囚犯。与此同时，内政部正在为前首相拿督斯里纳吉·拉扎克准备类似的安排。

该部周二向议会提交的书面答复中表示，正在起草一项针对还押犯的居家监禁法案。

“目前，马来西亚内政部或监狱部门没有任何具体的法律规定允许囚犯通过居家监禁机制在自己的住所服刑。

“在这方面，内政部正在起草一项关于居家监禁的法案，重点关注还押候审的囚犯，目前该法案正处于内政部和总检察署的最后审查阶段，”该部表示。

答复是针对贝鲁阿斯议员倪可汉提出的问题，倪可汉询问根据哪项法律规定，囚犯可以获准在家服刑。

回复则指向联邦宪法第 42 条，其中规定，根据赦免委员会的决定以及最高元首、统治者或州元首的同意，可以考虑赦免、减刑或暂缓执行死刑。

声明还指出，有条件赦免是根据赦免委员会的建议行使的特权，必须与特定法律规定的居家监禁令“区分开来”。该部没有点名任何个人。

此前，内政部长拿督斯里赛夫丁·纳苏蒂安·伊斯梅尔于 10 月 18 日表示，监狱部门正在制定对纳吉实施居家监禁的规章和条件，目前已进入最后阶段。

国王上个月给予纳吉有条件赦免，允许他居家服刑至 2028 年 8 月 23 日，但需缴纳 5000 万令吉的罚款。

赛夫丁当时表示，该国此前从未实行过软禁，赦免委员会秘书处的一封信函授权监狱部门可以附加任何条件。他还说，纳吉布之所以仍被关押在加影监狱，是因为罚款尚未缴纳。

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