KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — Umno’s Najib Razak Solidarity Fund raised RM165,645 within its first hour of being launched today to help former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak pay the RM50 million fine required under his conditional royal pardon, party secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said.

Asyraf announced the amount in a comment on his social media post, thanking contributors and urging party members and supporters to continue donating to the fund.

“Alhamdulillah, within an hour of its launch, the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund has already reached RM165,645,” he wrote.

The fundraising drive was launched after Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced today that the party would collect donations to help Najib pay the RM50 million fine.

Earlier today, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department announced that His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia had consented to grant Najib a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his custodial sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, subject to payment of the RM50 million fine and compliance with the conditions imposed.

The decision was made during the 64th meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya at Istana Negara this morning.

Najib was convicted in 2020 in the SRC International corruption case, one of several high-profile trials linked to the 1MDB scandal. 

He began serving his sentence at Kajang Prison in August 2022 after the Federal Court dismissed his final appeal.

His original 12-year jail term was subsequently halved to six years and his initial RM210 million fine reduced to RM50 million following an earlier review by the Pardons Board in early 2024.

He began to serve his sentence at Kajang Prison in August 2022 after the Federal Court dismissed his final appeal.

His original 12-year jail term was subsequently halved to six years and his initial RM210 million fine reduced to RM50 million following an earlier review by the Pardons Board in early 2024.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the pardon did not weaken the government’s resolve to fight corruption, stressing that ongoing corruption cases involving Najib must continue according to law.

MCA, meanwhile, welcomed the conditional pardon and said respecting the Pardons Board’s decision did not negate Najib’s conviction or the courts’ verdicts. 

DAP said it would hold an emergency Central Executive Committee meeting tomorrow to decide its formal position, while stressing that Najib’s 1MDB conviction and the financial burden on taxpayers must not be forgotten.