GE15: Najib is still a prisoner, cannot campaign for elections

KAJANG - Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is subjected to the Prisons Act and its regulations so long as he is serving a jail sentence and therefore will be allowed to campaign in the 15th General Election (GE15).

This was the clarfication from Prison Department commissioner-general Datuk Nordin Muhammad over talk of Najib's "special privileges" vis-a-vis GE15.

"The situation and regulations are still the same...So long as he is still serving the sentence in prison, he is subject to the Prisons Act and regulations,” he told the media at the launching of the Offenders Compulsory Attendance (Amendment) Act (Act 1660) at the Malaysian Prisons headquarters here today.

He was commenting on the stand of the Prisons Department if there was an application from Najib supporters to give special permission to the Pekan MP to campaign in GE15.

However, Nordin explained that apart from the application for Najib to attend Parliament sitting which was rejected, the department has not received any other applications from the former prime minister.

He also reiterated that Najib is not receiving special treatment since he was sentenced to jail as alleged by some quarters.

Nordin said Najib is just like other prisoners is also subject to the Prisons Act and its regulations apart from the department’s stipulated standard operating procedure.

"We give the same treatment to all inmates here and there is no such term as favouritism among prisoners here,” he said.

On August 23, the Federal Court upheld the conviction and prison sentence of 12 years and a fine of RM210 million against Najib who was found guilty of misappropriating SRC International Sdn Bhd funds amounting to RM42 million. - Bernama