Najib’s Fine Paid, House Arrest Order Issued: Is It Time For Anthony Loke To Resign?

With Najib’s RM50 million fine settled and a house-arrest order issued, attention turns to Anthony Loke’s pledge to step down once the former prime minister returns home.

With former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM50 million fine now paid and a house-arrest order issued, attention has turned to whether Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook will finally step down from the Cabinet as he previously pledged.

Loke, who is also DAP secretary-general, had announced his intention to resign following the conditional royal pardon granted to Najib on Sept 18.

However, his resignation was not supposed to take immediate effect.

On Sept 29, Loke confirmed that he had submitted his resignation letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who asked him to continue serving as Transport Minister for the time being.

“During the discussion, he asked me to continue carrying out my duties for the time being. He would make the decision, but I said there also needed to be a timeframe.

“So, the timeframe is that my resignation will take effect on the day Najib returns home,” the Seremban MP was quoted as saying by NST.

Umno had confirmed today that it had completed payment of the RM50 million fine imposed on Najib in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.

The payment fulfilled one of the conditions attached to the conditional pardon granted by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028.

Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee subsequently confirmed that the High Court had issued the house-arrest order following the payment.

However, further procedures remain before Najib can be transferred from Kajang Prison, meaning his actual return home has yet to take place.

DAP’s Position On Najib’s House Arrest

Loke’s proposed resignation stemmed from DAP’s opposition to the conditional pardon, which the party viewed as inconsistent with its longstanding position on accountability in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Following an emergency Central Executive Committee meeting on Sept 19, Loke said his resignation would be a political response to the royal pardon.

He also stressed that the decision would only affect his Cabinet position, while other DAP ministers and deputy ministers would remain in the government to maintain political stability.

The development presents a potentially delicate situation for the unity government, with DAP remaining part of Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan-led administration despite its disagreement over Najib’s sentence.

Nevertheless, Loke’s earlier remarks indicate that the decisive moment for his resignation is Najib’s actual return home rather than the payment of the fine or issuance of the house-arrest order alone.

Whether Anwar will allow the resignation to take effect immediately upon Najib’s transfer, or seek further discussions with Loke, remains to be seen.