Najib gets conditional pardon, to serve remainder of sentence under house arrest

The Federal Territories Pardons Board concluded its meeting around 9:30 am today, with key figures Minister Hannah Yeoh and Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar departing from Istana Negara shortly after. The meeting, presided over by Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, is the focus of intense media interest, as it is believed to be deliberating on former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's pardon application.

This application was previously postponed during the board's 63rd session on September 11, with consideration pushed to a later date.

Speculation is mounting, fueled by a brief "Alhamdulillah" post on Facebook this morning by UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, which has further intensified the anticipation surrounding the meeting's outcome. No official statement has been released regarding the meeting's result, expected to be made public only after Friday prayers.

As the meeting took place, media practitioners began to gather outside Najib Razak's residence in Langgak Duta, anticipating news of his alleged house arrest. Both local and international reporters arrived at the scene as early as 10 am, keen to obtain the latest updates on the situation. However, there has been no activity at the residence thus far.

Earlier today, a fabricated letter allegedly bearing Hannah Yeoh's signature circulated on social media, falsely claiming Najib had been granted house arrest. Yeoh's press secretary reported the document's dissemination to the authorities. Meanwhile, Najib began serving a 12-year jail term in August 2022 for corruption charges related to a subsidiary of 1MDB.

The Pardons Board had previously reduced his sentence by half in 2024 and decreased his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million. In December 2025, he was convicted of abuse of power and money laundering involving over RM2 billion linked to 1MDB, receiving a sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of RM11.38 billion. Najib is currently appealing this conviction.