Malaysia’s disgraced former PM leaves jail for house arrest after embezzling millions

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has returned home to begin serving the remainder of his four-year prison sentence for corruption under house arrest. A crowd of news reporters gathered outside his Kuala Lumpur residence to witness the 73-year-old's arrival in an SUV, with a heavily armed police escort. Najib's return marked the end of his four-year prison term after he was found guilty of embezzling billions of dollars from the country's sovereign wealth fund.

The 1MDB scandal had toppled his government and generated international headlines over a decade ago, implicating high-profile individuals from Malaysia to Goldman Sachs and Hollywood. Prosecutors alleged that up to $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the state-owned wealth fund, co-founded by Najib, with over $1 billion reportedly ending up in accounts linked to him.

Najib's lawyers argued that his advisers, particularly financier Jho Low, had misled him, but Low has maintained his innocence and is still at large. The former prime minister's home has been designated a federal prison, though critics have questioned the legal basis for his house arrest, as Malaysian law does not expressly provide for such a measure.

Najib, who held the position of prime minister from 2009 to 2018, denied any wrongdoing but was convicted in two separate trials. In the first trial, he received a 12-year sentence, which was later reduced in appeal. In September, the King of Malaysia granted a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remaining two years at home.

However, the Attorney General sought clarification on the royal decree, leading to a postponement of the transfer to Najib's mansion. The High Court subsequently ruled that house arrest commenced immediately. To comply with the terms of the royal pardon, Najib's party paid a $12 million fine. He is currently appealing a 15-year prison sentence handed down in a second trial concerning the misappropriation of nearly 2.3 billion Malaysian ringgit ($569 million) from the nation's sovereign wealth fund.