Report: Najib will pay RM50m fine today to unlock house arrest

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is expected to pay a RM50 million fine today, enabling him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, according to a report by the New Straits Times. The financial penalty was set by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim during a meeting of the Federal Territories Pardons Board on September 18th.

This royal decree allows Najib to complete the rest of his reduced sentence at home until August 23, 2028. However, Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar stated that the Attorney General's Chambers had not yet received confirmation of the payment. The fine is a part of Najib's conviction for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Initially sentenced to 12 years in prison and a RM210 million fine by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in July 2020, this conviction and fine were upheld by the Federal Court in August 2022. The Pardons Board subsequently reduced Najib's prison term to six years and the fine to RM50 million during its meeting on January 29, 2024. Despite the house arrest, Najib still faces various ongoing legal issues, including separate criminal and civil proceedings.

These include a 15-year prison sentence and an RM11.4 billion fine from the High Court for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), as well as a civil suit seeking repayment of US$1.3 billion to SRC International for breach of fiduciary duties.