“It depends, if the judge rules in our favour, say within a month, he (could) go back (home to serve the remainder of his sentence) within a month,” he told a press conference at the Palace of Justice here.

Reporters had asked Shafee how soon Najib could be released if the judicial review succeeds and the government is compelled to execute a supplementary decree issued by the former king allowing him to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest.

Najib’s judicial review will be heard before a new High Court judge, after Justice Amarjeet Singh previously ruled that Najib had failed to show he had an arguable case to warrant a full hearing of his proposed judicial review application.

Najib has also been allowed to adduce new evidence when the merits of the case are heard in the High Court.

On Feb 2 last year, the Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB) announced that Najib’s prison sentence in his SRC International case had been halved from 12 years to six, and his fine reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million.

He is currently serving his jail sentence at Kajang prison.

In his leave application filed in the High Court on April 1, Najib claimed that the former king had, during an FTPB meeting on Jan 29, also issued a supplementary decree allowing him to serve the remainder of his reduced jail term under house arrest.

The former prime minister said the FTPB had omitted to announce the terms of the supplementary decree and that the government was in contempt for not complying with it.