Malaysia's jailed former prime minister Najib Razak has been allowed to transfer to house arrest after his party paid a 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine following a royal pardon granted by the king in September. AFP reported seeing Najib in a car driving away on Friday.
Najib's lawyer, Farhan Shafee, told reporters on Friday that he has been given the order and will be “delivering that order to the Kajang prison right now.” He said the house arrest could start on Friday if everything goes to plan. Police were stationed at Najib's house in Kuala Lumpur early Friday and the road leading to his home was blocked.
The transfer follows a rare royal clemency granted by Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim in September, conditional on payment of the fine. UMNO reportedly used crowdfunding to raise the funds, as Najib's bank accounts have been frozen. Party secretary-general Asyraf Wajid Dusuki said in a statement on Friday that sufficient funds had been collected.
Najib, 73, has been serving a six-year prison sentence since 2022 for his role in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal, named after a state investment fund he co-founded while prime minister from 2009 to 2018. He was originally sentenced to 12 years in 2020 for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving $10.3 million funneled into his bank accounts. Investigators say about $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and more than $1 billion of it was linked to Najib. He denies any wrongdoing.
The house arrest applies only to his reduced six-year sentence. It does not cover a separate 15-year prison sentence imposed in December 2025 for corruption and money laundering in a second trial also related to 1MDB. Najib was also fined 11.4 billion ringgit ($2.5 billion) in that case. He is appealing the conviction, and a judge in September rejected a request to halt the jail term and fine, saying "the gravity of the offence is a more important public interest consideration." If his appeal fails, he could return to prison after August 23, 2028.
The scandal sparked national outrage and led to the 2018 election defeat of UMNO, which had governed Malaysia since independence. Najib remains influential within the party, which is part of the current government that came to power in 2022. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has publicly raised concerns about the pardon, though there has been speculation he may have helped it proceed behind the scenes due to pressure from Najib's party. Al Jazeera's Rob McBride, reporting from Kuala Lumpur, said the decision could cause a political stir, with many questions about how current politics affected the pardon.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The transfer of a graft-convicted former prime minister to house arrest sends a signal about the strength of Malaysia's anti-corruption framework and the influence of political elites.
- The case keeps the 1MDB scandal in public view, potentially affecting public trust in the government led by a coalition that includes Najib's party UMNO.
- Najib still faces a second 15-year sentence; any political fallout from this pardon could shape the legal and political landscape as that appeal progresses.
Background
1MDB was a Malaysian state investment fund co-founded by Najib Razak in 2009. Investigators allege about $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund in a global fraud scheme. Najib was convicted in 2020 on charges including abuse of power and money laundering relating to $10.3 million that entered his accounts. He began serving a 12-year sentence in 2022, later reduced to six years on appeal. A second conviction in December 2025 added 15 years and a $2.5 billion fine. In September 2026, Malaysia's king granted Najib a royal clemency conditional on a 50 million ringgit fine, allowing house arrest. The scandal triggered UMNO's 2018 election loss, but the party returned to government in 2022 and Najib remains influential.
Key Perspectives
- Najib Razak: denies any wrongdoing, saying he was solely blamed for a highly complicated global fraud scheme.
- Farhan Shafee (Najib's lawyer): confirmed the clemency order had been received and he was delivering it to Kajang prison, with house arrest possible from Friday.
- Asyraf Wajid Dusuki (UMNO secretary-general): announced in a statement that the party had collected sufficient funds through a donation drive to pay the 50 million ringgit fine.
- Anwar Ibrahim (Prime Minister): has publicly raised concerns about the pardon in his capacity as an anti-corruption figurehead, but there is speculation he may have helped it go through behind the scenes due to pressure from Najib's party.
- Rob McBride (Al Jazeera correspondent): said the decision could cause a political stir in Malaysia, with questions about how current politics impacted the pardon.
What to Watch
- The outcome of Najib's appeal against the second 15-year sentence: a failed appeal would return him to prison after August 2028.
- Any political reaction within Malaysia, including statements from opposition parties or civil society, and whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces criticism over the pardon.
- The timing of the official transfer order and confirmation from prison authorities that Najib is under house arrest.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedNajib Razak is set for house arrest following royal clemency.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Malaysia’s jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak has been allowed to transfer to house arrest after his party paid a $12m fine following a royal pardon.”
- SupportedUMNO paid a 50 million ringgit fine, reported as $12.3 million.DW English: “after his political party paid a 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million, €11 million) fine.”
- SupportedA separate 15-year sentence remains on appeal.DW English: “It doesn't cover a separate 15-year prison sentence imposed in December 2025 for corruption and money laundering in a second trial tied to the 1MDB scandal. [...] Najib is appealing that conviction”
- SupportedLawyer Farhan Shafee said he had the order and would deliver it to Kajang prison “right now.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Najib’s lawyer, Farhan Shafee, told reporters on Friday that he has been given the order and will be “delivering that order to the Kajang prison right now”.”
- SupportedShafee said house arrest could start on Friday if everything went to plan.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “His house arrest could start on Friday if everything goes to plan, Shafee said.”
- SupportedAFP reported seeing Najib in a car driving away on Friday.DW English: “the AFP news agency said a report sa him in a car driving away on Friday.”
- SupportedPolice were stationed at Najib’s Kuala Lumpur home early Friday and the road leading to it was blocked.DW English: “Police were stationed at his house in Kuala Lumpur early Friday and the road leading to his home was blocked.”
- SupportedThe king granted Najib clemency in September, subject to payment of the 50 million ringgit fine.DW English: “Malaysia's king, Sultan Ibrahim, granted Najib a rare royal clemency in September, subject to the payment of 50 million Malaysian ringgit”
- SupportedUMNO reportedly used crowdfunding to cover the fine because Najib’s bank accounts were frozen.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Najib’s party, the United Malays National Organisation, has reportedly used crowdfunding to cover Najib’s 50 million ringgit ($12m) fine, as his bank accounts have been frozen.”
- SupportedUMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajid Dusuki said on Friday that sufficient funds had been collected.DW English: “UMNO, collected sufficient funds through a donation drive, Asyraf Wajid Dusuki, the party secretary-general, said in a statement on Friday.”
- SupportedA judge rejected Najib’s request to halt the second sentence and fine, saying the gravity of the offence was a more important public-interest consideration.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “A judge rejected his request in September, saying “the gravity of the offence is a more important public interest consideration.””
- SupportedAl Jazeera’s Rob McBride said the decision could cause a political stir and raise questions about how current politics affected the pardon.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Al Jazeera’s McBride said this decision could cause a political stir in Malaysia. [...] “there’s a lot of questions being asked about how the current politics have impacted this pardon.””