Najib barred from media, political activities under house arrest

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak began serving his house arrest on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Bar recently filed an application to contest the decision permitting Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest. The government has now intervened to block this fresh legal challenge. Senior federal counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly stated that the government received the court documents on the new application on Tuesday and requested additional time to review and prepare a response.

The Attorney-General's Chambers said they would object to the Bar's application because Najib's decision to grant the conditional pardon is non-justiciable. The court has set March 17, 2027, to hear the government's and Najib's objections. The Bar's application targets the Federal Territories Pardons Board's decision to allow Najib to serve the remaining six years of his prison sentence under house arrest, arguing that the decision is unconstitutional.

The Bar's challenge comes ahead of the Court of Appeal's decision on January 7 regarding another appeal by the Bar against the FTPB's January 2024 decision to reduce Najib's sentence and fine. Najib, 73, arrived at his residence in Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta, on Tuesday night to commence his remaining house arrest period. He had been incarcerated at Kajang prison since August 23, 2022.

In January 2024, the Sultan of Malaysia, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, halved Najib's 12-year sentence and reduced his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million under a royal pardon. In September 2026, the current Sultan, Ibrahim, granted a further conditional pardon, enabling Najib to serve the remaining portion of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028. The RM50 million fine was paid by Umno through a public crowdfunding campaign.