Rumours that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would settle his RM50 million fine on Wednesday are untrue, according to UMNO secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
Asyraf Wajdi confirmed that the public fundraising campaign launched by UMNO to collect the money had yet to reach its target.
“It’s still not enough. So the rumours are not true,” he told Astro AWANI when contacted on Wednesday.
However, he declined to disclose the latest amount collected through the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund, which was launched on September 18.
Speculation about the payment intensified after reports suggested that the RM50 million could be settled at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex on Wednesday.
Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, had also earlier clarified that he had received no instructions from his client regarding the payment.
He said he had no information about the current status of the fine and added that he should be informed even if a third party intended to make the payment.
On September 18, the Federal Territories Pardons Board granted Najib a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028.
The arrangement is subject to several conditions, including the payment of a RM50 million fine.
