MACHANG — A new bill to allow house arrest will be tabled in Parliament in 2025, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
The Cabinet has approved a house arrest policy, while the bill is being drafted by the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Prisons Department director-general, Datuk Seri Nordin Muhamad, he added.
“Once the bill is drafted, we will present it to the Cabinet. After which, we expect to table it in Parliament next year,” Bernama reported the home minister saying at a press conference after launching the “Santuni Madani: One Leader, One Village” programme in Bukit Tiu, here, in Kelantan, today.
The bill on house arrest will not require amendments to the Prisons Act but will instead be introduced as new legislation.
During the tabling of Budget 2025 yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government would draft a new law to allow house arrest as an alternative sentence for certain offences.
These offenders would be required to stay at designated places of detention, such as a residential home, care facility, or workers’ dormitory, throughout their detention period.
The announcement has been questioned by government backbencher, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim, who said more clarity is needed on why allowing house arrest was necessary, and if it would be used to benefit offenders who are “elites”.
The issue of house arrest has been of interest because of incarcerated former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s legal challenge to confirm the existence of an alleged house arrest order for him signed by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong which has never been officially revealed by the government.
Najib, who is in Sg Buloh Prison serving his jail sentence for corruption, is currently appealing the high court’s decision to reject his application for leave for a judicial review to confirm and enforce the purported house arrest order. – October 19, 2024