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Malaysia Court Clears Former PM Najib to Begin House Arrest

SCMP · 3 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN

Summary

A Malaysian court cleared the way on Tuesday for jailed former prime minister Najib Razak to be transferred to house arrest after the attorney general disputed an earlier directive . Najib, 73, was jailed for his role in one of the largest global plunders of a sovereign wealth fund, the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) . He arrived home late Tuesday night, ending a four-year prison stint after being found guilty over the embezzlement of billions of dollars from the state-owned fund .

Key Points

Najib was granted a conditional pardon in September, allowing him to serve the remainder of his six-year sentence at home provided he paid a 50 million ringgit (US$12 million) fine
His political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), paid the fine on Friday, but the attorney general initially blocked his transfer on legal grounds
Attorney General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar filed an application to the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Tuesday seeking to review the house arrest order
High Court judge Aslam Zainuddin ruled that Najib shall serve his sentence under house arrest at his residence until August 23, 2028
Investigators estimated $4.5 billion was siphoned from 1MDB, with more than $1 billion allegedly ending up in accounts linked to Najib

Why It Matters

The case highlights the tension between executive clemency and judicial oversight in Malaysia, as the attorney general challenged a royal pardon that the king himself warned must be honoured . The outcome of Najib's house arrest arrangement may set a precedent for how Malaysia balances anti-corruption enforcement with political forgiveness.