Malaysian Bar calls for transparency on Najib Razak's sentence costs

Anand Raj, president of the Malaysian Bar, called on the Malaysian government to disclose the additional cost to taxpayers if former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak serves the remainder of his SRC International jail term under house arrest. Raj urged the Federal Territories Pardons Board and the Prime Minister's Department to publish the official minutes of the pardon decisions and fully disclose all house arrest conditions and associated taxpayer costs. This advocacy was based on a joint statement issued by civil society groups, which included Maria Chin Abdullah.

The call for disclosure pressures the Malaysian government regarding the use of public funds and the process surrounding high-level pardons. Anand Raj also announced that the Malaysian Bar would challenge the Pardons Board's decision concerning Najib Razak.