KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Several Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs today called for the Attorney General (AG) to be placed on temporary leave pending an independent investigation into the delay in implementing Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest.

The lawmakers said yesterday’s fresh High Court order had upheld justice but did not absolve the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) of responsibility for what they described as serious administrative oversights that had damaged public confidence in the institution.

“The implementation of house arrest does not erase the delay, and a settlement does not eliminate accountability; the AG must answer why the deferral occurred and who is responsible,” Tenggara MP Manndzri Nasib said, reading aloud from a statement in a press conference at Parliament here.

“The King’s decree must be upheld, court orders must be complied with, and justice must never be used as a tool for political games,” he added.

The BN MPs questioned the AGC’s handling of Najib’s detention after he paid the RM50 million fine imposed in his SRC International case on November 6, arguing that the payment should have triggered his immediate transfer to house arrest.

Manndzri said Najib’s continued detention at Kajang Prison for four more days could amount to unlawful detention, particularly as no court order had been obtained to justify the delay.

The statement also questioned the AG’s role as a member of the Pardons Board during its September 18 meeting, asking if practical arrangements and legal implications of implementing Najib’s house arrest had been discussed then.

Manndzri said that if potential legal or administrative issues had been identified during that meeting, the necessary steps should have been taken before the fine was paid to prevent delays.

Najib was transferred from Kajang Prison to his residence last night to serve the remainder of his six-year SRC International prison sentence under house arrest, following a fresh High Court order.

The new order was issued after the AGC sought a review of the November 6 discharge order, citing concerns that it contained defects and required clarification to ensure it was consistent with the conditional pardon granted by the King.

Najib’s lawyers had maintained that the original order was valid in substance despite grammatical errors, arguing that its instruction for him to be released from Kajang Prison to serve his remaining sentence under house arrest was clear.