Malaysia’s disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak arrived home late Tuesday night to serve the remainder of his corruption sentence under house arrest, after the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled the transfer was effective immediately following a last-minute postponement by the attorney general.
Najib, 73, was driven from prison to his mansion in one of Kuala Lumpur’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, escorted by a heavily armed police convoy, with a large media presence. His home has been declared a federal prison ahead of his arrival.
The transfer ends a four-year prison stint for his role in the embezzlement of billions of dollars from the sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, a scandal that brought down his government and drew in figures ranging from Goldman Sachs to Hollywood. Investigators estimated $4.5bn was siphoned from the fund, with more than $1bn allegedly ending up in accounts linked to Najib, according to prosecutors.
In September, Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim granted Najib a conditional pardon to serve the remaining two years of his sentence at home. On Friday, Najib’s political party paid a $12m fine as part of the pardon’s terms, and he was due to leave prison. However, the attorney general postponed the transfer after raising questions over the legal interpretation of the royal decree.
On Tuesday, Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Aslam Zainuddin ruled that “in accordance with the order of conditional pardon, the accused shall serve the remainder of the reduced sentence of six years’ imprisonment under house arrest.”
The king has warned that any attempt to challenge his order could amount to defiance of his decree, according to Al Jazeera. Reporting from outside the court, Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride said the episode had caused “all manner of political and constitutional controversy” and underlined the complicated, delicate relationship between the monarchy, the courts and the government.
Critics said Najib’s release undermined efforts to fight corruption and questioned its legal basis, with some noting that Malaysian law made no provision for house arrest.
Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, denied wrongdoing but was convicted at two separate trials. He was sentenced in 2020 to 12 years in prison and jailed in 2022; the term was later halved on appeal. His first conviction involved abuse of power, money laundering and breach of trust over 42 million ringgit ($10m) transferred from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB, into his private accounts.
The house arrest order applies only to that conviction. Najib faces an additional 15 years in prison after being found guilty last year in another 1MDB-linked case involving the misappropriation of nearly 2.3 billion ringgit ($569m). He has appealed and is due to start serving that sentence after his house arrest ends, expected in August 2028.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The transfer marks a dramatic turn in one of the world’s largest corruption cases, allowing a convicted leader to serve time at home rather than in prison.
- The episode has inflamed debate about the rule of law and the balance of power between Malaysia’s monarchy, judiciary and executive.
- It sets a precedent for how future royal pardons may be implemented, particularly when the attorney general and the king disagree.
Background
Najib Razak was prime minister from 2009 to 2018, during which billions of dollars were allegedly stolen from the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund he co-founded. He was convicted in 2020 and jailed in 2022. In September 2026, Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim granted a conditional pardon allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest after his party paid a $12m fine. The attorney general initially sought clarification of the decree, temporarily blocking the transfer before the High Court ruled it effective immediately.
Key Perspectives
Najib Razak: Claims he was misled by his advisers, particularly financier Jho Low, who has maintained his innocence and remains at large.
King Sultan Ibrahim: Has warned that challenging his decree could amount to defiance, according to reports.
Critics: Say his release undermines anti-corruption efforts and note Malaysian law makes no provision for house arrest.
Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride: Said the episode caused political and constitutional controversy, highlighting the complicated relationship between the monarchy, courts and government.
What to Watch
- The outcome of Najib’s appeal against the additional 15-year sentence for the second 1MDB-linked conviction.
- Whether the attorney general’s office takes further legal steps to challenge the house arrest arrangement.
- The political fallout within Malaysia, including any reaction from opposition parties and civil society groups.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedNajib Razak began house arrest after a Malaysian court cleared the way for his transfer.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “A Malaysian court has cleared the way for jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to be transferred to house arrest after an earlier directive was disputed.”
- SupportedNajib returned to his Kuala Lumpur mansion, which had been declared a federal prison, amid political and constitutional controversy.BBC News: “Najib's mansion in one of the capital's most exclusive neighbourhoods was declared a federal prison ahead of his homecoming on Tuesday.”
- SupportedNajib arrived home late Tuesday night to begin serving the rest of his corruption sentence under house arrest.BBC News: “There was a big media presence at his Kuala Lumpur residence to see the 73-year-old return from prison in an SUV late on Tuesday night, escorted by a heavily armed police convoy.”
- SupportedThe attorney general postponed the transfer, and the High Court later ruled the house arrest effective immediately.BBC News: “The transfer to his mansion was to take place on Friday but put on hold after the attorney general sought clarification of the royal decree. On Tuesday the high court ruled the house arrest was effective immediately.”
- SupportedJudge Aslam Zainuddin said Najib would serve the rest of his reduced six-year sentence under house arrest.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““In accordance with the order of conditional pardon, the accused shall serve the remainder of the reduced sentence of six years’ imprisonment under house arrest,” Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Aslam Zainuddin said on Tuesday.”
- SupportedAl Jazeera reporter Rob McBride said the episode caused “all manner of political and constitutional controversy” and underlined the delicate relationship between the monarchy, courts and government.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Reporting from outside the court in Kuala Lumpur, Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride said: “This has caused all manner of political and constitutional controversy in Malaysia. The king made it plain he wasn’t happy with the interference of the attorney general over the weekend, and that it set a very difficult precedent.” He said it underlines the complicated, delicate relationship between the monarchy, the courts and the government.”
- SupportedInvestigators estimated $4.5bn was siphoned from 1MDB, and prosecutors said more than $1bn allegedly ended up in accounts linked to Najib.BBC News: “Investigators estimated that $4.5bn (£3.3bn) was siphoned from the state-owned wealth fund, which Najib co-founded, into private pockets, including his own. More than $1bn allegedly ended up in accounts linked to Najib, according to prosecutors.”
- SupportedIn September, Malaysia’s King granted Najib a conditional pardon to serve the remaining two years of his sentence at home.BBC News: “In September, the King of Malaysia granted him a conditional pardon to see out the remaining two years of his sentence at home.”
- SupportedNajib’s political party paid a $12m fine on Friday as part of the pardon’s terms.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “On Friday, Najib’s political party paid the $12m fine as part of the terms of the royal pardon, and he was due to leave prison.”
- SupportedThe king warned that challenging his order could amount to defying his decree.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “King Sultan Ibrahim has warned that any attempt to challenge his order to let Najib leave jail and move to house arrest could amount to defiance against his decree.”
- SupportedCritics said Najib’s release undermined anti-corruption efforts and questioned its legal basis, saying Malaysian law made no provision for house arrest.BBC News: “Critics said his release from jail undermined efforts to fight corruption and questioned its legal basis, saying Malaysian law made no provision for house arrest.”
- SupportedNajib faces an additional 15-year prison sentence in another 1MDB-linked case, has appealed, and is expected to start serving it after house arrest ends in August 2028.BBC News: “Najib is appealing against a 15-year prison sentence, handed down at a second trial in December 2025 , in a case involving much larger sums of money.”