House arrest not linked to Najib - Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: The Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil today stressed that the formulation of a house arrest bill is not linked to any individual, including the former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, who is currently serving prison time.

The Unity Government spokesperson said the bill marks a transition from a punitive to a restorative justice system.

"Recently, during a National Social Council meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi), Home Minister (Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail) provided a comprehensive context in the discussion regarding the actions or the establishment of a new act related to house arrest," he said in the weekly post-Cabinet meeting press conference here, today.

He said restorative justice seeks to reintegrate an individual found guilty into the community, adding that the transition process from punitive justice to restorative justice began last year.

Sharing findings from a pilot project on home detention implemented throughout last year involving 5,000 inmates, Fahmi said the re-offend rate went down by 15 per cent.

Following this, Fahmi said the project could be expanded as there are about 82,000 inmates in prisons, which exceeds the existing capacity of 74,000, adding that this initiative would help the Prisons Department to save approximately RM19 million in management costs.

During the tabling of Budget 2025 on Oct 18, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government would draft a new bill to allow house arrest as an alternative sentence for certain offences.

These offenders are required to stay at designated places of detention, such as residential homes, care facilities, or workers' dormitories, throughout their detention period.

Saifuddin Nasution was reported as saying that the bill will be tabled next year, adding that the Cabinet has approved the policy for its implementation.

According to him, it targets around 20,000 offenders in specific categories, including first-time offenders who have not committed serious crimes, pregnant women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, who will be eligible for consideration after undergoing a screening process.

-- BERNAMA

Read the latest news here