UMNO Says It Has Completed Payment of Najib’s 50 Million Ringgit Fine

Malaysia's UMNO party said on November 6 that it had completed the procedures to pay the 50 million ringgit fine required under former prime minister Najib Razak's conditional pardon. Secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund had reached its fundraising target. “UMNO completed all payment procedures with the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning,” Asyraf said in a statement. The party said it had officially closed the fund's special account and that further public crowdfunding was no longer needed. It thanked party members across Malaysia and members of the public who had contributed since the fund opened on September 18. The announcement followed an earlier account of the fundraising drive published by UMNO on November 4. In that account, Asyraf said contributions were averaging RM5,000 to RM10,000 a day. He described donations as small as RM1, alongside contributions of RM5 and RM10, as part of the effort to meet the fine. According to UMNO's November 4 account, the Federal Territories Pardons Board granted Najib a conditional pardon on September 18 allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028. Payment of the 50 million ringgit fine was among the conditions. The November 6 statement announced completion of the payment procedures, without giving a date for a transfer to house arrest.