Court grants ex-Malaysian PM Najib house arrest after $12m royal pardon

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak is set to be transferred to house arrest following his party's payment of a fine as part of a royal pardon, according to his lawyer Farhan Shafee. Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was convicted of corruption in relation to the embezzlement of billions of dollars from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund.

Despite denying any wrongdoing, Najib has been held in Kajang prison since 2022. Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim agreed to allow Najib to serve his sentence under house arrest in September, following a second royal pardon over his conviction. Najib's party, the United Malays National Organisation, raised the required 50 million ringgit ($12.32 million) fine via crowdfunding since his bank accounts were frozen.

The 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal involved the alleged misappropriation of over $1 billion, with Najib claiming he has been scapegoated for a scheme that may have siphoned as much as $4.5 billion. Najib's lawyers sought to suspend his jail term and the fines pending an appeal due to his declining health and inability to pay the substantial fine; however, a judge rejected the request, citing the gravity of the offense as the primary public interest consideration.