Anthony Loke says resignation will take effect once Najib returns home

Anthony Loke says resignation will take effect once Najib returns home

Anthony Loke has confirmed that his resignation as Transport Minister is tied to one very specific moment — when former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak returns home to begin serving the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

According to the New Straits Times, Loke said his resignation will take effect once Najib has returned home, rather than immediately upon the submission of his resignation.

Loke had earlier announced his decision to resign following a DAP Central Executive Committee meeting on 19 September, after the decision to grant Najib a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

The DAP secretary-general had said the move was his party’s response to the development, while other DAP ministers and deputy ministers would remain in the Unity Government to avoid affecting political stability.

Loke had also previously said that he remained firm on his decision to resign, although Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he would not rush into deciding on the resignation offer.

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So, what’s happening with Najib’s house arrest?

Najib was granted a conditional pardon by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, on 18 September.

The decision allows Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence for the SRC International case under house arrest until 23 August 2028.

However, he has not simply walked out of Kajang Prison and gone home.

One of the conditions attached to the arrangement is the payment of a RM50 million fine. As of 21 September, the Attorney-General said the fine had yet to be paid and that Najib would remain in prison until the conditions were fulfilled.

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The Prisons Department is also expected to implement specific procedures covering matters such as monitoring, movement and visits once the necessary orders are received.

Police and Prisons Department officials have already inspected Najib’s residence in Jalan Langgak Duta to assess security arrangements, although authorities said the final house arrest arrangements had not yet been confirmed.

In other words, the much-discussed “house arrest” has been approved, but Najib’s actual return home still depends on the conditions and administrative process being completed.

Why is Loke resigning over it?
Loke has stressed that DAP respects the constitutional authority of the King to grant pardons.

His resignation is instead a political response to the decision to allow Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence at home.

DAP’s position was that Loke would be the party’s representative stepping down from the Cabinet, while the party’s other ministers would remain in government.

That means Loke’s resignation is not simply about leaving the government immediately. For now, he continues to carry out his duties as Transport Minister.

And according to his latest remarks, that arrangement will remain in place until Najib actually returns home.

Najib has been serving his sentence at Kajang Prison since 23 August, 2022, following his conviction for misappropriating RM42 million belonging to SRC International.

He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million. His sentence was later reduced following a decision by the Pardons Board.

The former prime minister is also facing separate legal proceedings linked to the wider 1MDB scandal. In December 2025, he was sentenced to another 15 years in prison and fined RM11.38 billion after being convicted of abusing his position and money laundering involving RM2.28 billion in 1MDB funds. That case is currently under appeal.

For now, there are two things Malaysians are watching: when Najib will finally leave Kajang Prison for home, and what happens to Loke’s position once that happens.