Najib Razak House Arrest After Fine Paid
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak will serve the rest of his jail term under house arrest, after a court issued the transfer order on Friday. The Najib Razak house arrest follows the payment of a 50 million ringgit ($12.32 million) fine by his party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), under the terms of a royal pardon.
Najib, 73, could go home on Friday if the process goes according to plan, his lawyer Farhan Shafee told reporters. “We have that order, and we will be delivering that order to the Kajang prison right now,” he said, referring to the jail where Najib has been held since 2022.
Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim agreed in September to allow Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. It was a second royal pardon over his conviction. The fine was a condition of that pardon, and UMNO said it had been paid on his behalf.
How the Najib Razak house arrest came about
UMNO used crowdfunding to cover the fine. Najib’s lawyers said he was unable to pay it himself because his bank accounts were frozen. The party announced the payment this week, and the court then issued the order for his transfer.
Najib was prime minister from 2009 to 2018. He was found guilty of corruption in relation to the embezzlement of billions of dollars tied to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state investment fund he co-founded while in power. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
In the 1MDB scandal, more than $1 billion allegedly made its way into accounts linked to Najib. He says he has been made the scapegoat for a complex, globe-spanning scheme that siphoned away as much as $4.5 billion in funds, according to United States investigators.
A second conviction still stands
Najib was also convicted in a separate 1MDB-related case in December last year. In that case, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $2.8 billion for abuse of power and money laundering. He has lodged an appeal in that case.
His lawyers had asked for the jail term and the fines to be suspended while the appeal is heard. They cited his declining health and his inability to pay the large fine. A judge rejected the request last month, saying there were no special circumstances and “the gravity of the offence is a more important public interest consideration”.
The house arrest order covers the sentence he is serving now. It does not settle the second case, and the appeal in that case will continue through the courts.
A divisive figure in Malaysian politics
Najib remains a divisive figure in Malaysian politics, but he is still influential in the once-dominant UMNO. The party is part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s multi-party government, and the transfer could create more tension inside the coalition.
Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan alliance has strongly opposed leniency towards Najib, and many of its supporters see the house arrest as a step too far.
The next election is not due to take place until early 2028. Anwar has said he could call a snap poll if rifts deepen, which gives the dispute over Najib a direct bearing on the stability of his government.
Tony Pua, a former DAP lawmaker who played a key role in drawing attention to the 1MDB scandal, criticised UMNO for raising the funds. He called Najib “Malaysia’s biggest crook” and said on Facebook: “Instead of using such a large sum of money to help ordinary Malaysians, they chose to ‘free’ Malaysia’s most corrupt.”
What happens next
The immediate step is administrative. Najib’s lawyers will deliver the court order to Kajang prison, and the prison authorities will then arrange his transfer home. If the process goes to plan, he could be home on Friday.
The wider questions will take longer to answer. The appeal in the second 1MDB case is still pending, and the political fallout inside Anwar’s coalition has yet to play out. For now, the house arrest closes one chapter of the 1MDB saga, the largest financial scandal in Malaysia’s history, while leaving the rest of it before the courts.
The case has drawn attention well beyond Malaysia. The 1MDB affair involved banks and officials in several countries, and investigators in the United States say as much as $4.5 billion was siphoned from the fund.
Malaysia has also been in the news this week for other reasons: Marc Marquez won the Malaysian MotoGP round. In the wider region, Turkiye’s parliament has ratified the Makkah defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia has denied the Houthis’ reported $51bn demand, and the UN Security Council has adopted a Pakistan-led statement urging diplomacy during wars.
Why was Najib Razak jailed?
Najib was found guilty of corruption linked to the 1MDB state fund, which he co-founded while prime minister. United States investigators say as much as $4.5 billion was siphoned from the fund, with more than $1 billion allegedly reaching accounts linked to him. He denies wrongdoing.
What is the RM50 million fine for?
The fine was a condition of the second royal pardon granted by King Sultan Ibrahim in September. UMNO paid it on Najib’s behalf after raising the money through crowdfunding, because his bank accounts are frozen.
Does house arrest end his legal troubles?
No. Najib was convicted in a separate 1MDB-related case in December last year and sentenced to 15 years in prison with a $2.8 billion fine. He has appealed, and that case continues.
Why does the decision matter politically?
Najib remains influential in UMNO, which is part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government. Anwar’s allies oppose leniency for him, so the transfer could deepen rifts inside the coalition ahead of elections due by early 2028.
