Anthony Loke has stepped down as Transport Minister with immediate effect, ending his tenure after the Kuala Lumpur High Court cleared former prime minister Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his SRC International prison sentence at home.
The DAP secretary-general announced his resignation today, fulfilling a commitment made nearly two months earlier over his party’s opposition to Najib’s conditional royal pardon.
DAP’s central executive committee agreed on Sept 19 that Loke would leave the Cabinet. He submitted his resignation letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sept 28 but remained in office at Anwar’s request.
Loke subsequently made clear that his departure would take effect once Najib began house arrest.
The transfer had been scheduled for Nov 6, when Najib briefly left Kajang Prison. He returned that evening after the Attorney-General’s Chambers sought a deferment pending clarification of the court order.
High Court judge Aslam Zainuddin today replaced the earlier order, allowing Najib to serve his reduced SRC International sentence at his Langgak Duta residence until Aug 23, 2028.
He is scheduled to return to Kajang Prison on Aug 24 for a separate 15-year sentence in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case, which remains under appeal.
Loke, who had headed the Transport Ministry since December 2022, thanked Anwar and ministry personnel for their support.
He pledged to assist with the handover and ensure that ongoing transport initiatives continue.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah remains in office. No successor to Loke had been announced.
