Malaysia: Jailed ex-leader Najib to leave prison for house arrest
Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak is set to leave prison to serve the remainder of his six-year sentence under house arrest after his political party paid a 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine.
Najib's party, United Malays National Organization (UMNO), collected sufficient funds through a donation drive to cover the fine, according to party secretary-general Asyraf Wajid Dusuki. Although the exact timing of Najib's release wasn't immediately clear, AFP reported seeing him in a car driving away on Friday, with police stationed at his Kuala Lumpur home.
1MDB Scandal
The 73-year-old former leader has been serving a six-year prison sentence for his role in the 1MDB corruption scandal, named after the state investment fund he co-founded during his premiership from 2009 to 2018. Originally sentenced to 12 years in 2020 for abuse of power and money laundering involving $10.3 million, he began serving his sentence in 2022.
Legal Challenges
Malaysia's king granted Najib royal clemency in September, subject to the fine payment, allowing house arrest for his reduced sentence. However, this doesn't cover a separate 15-year prison sentence imposed in December 2025 for corruption in a second 1MDB trial. Najib is appealing that conviction, which included an 11.4 billion ringgit fine, and could return to prison after August 23, 2028 if the appeal fails.
Political Impact
The 1MDB scandal sparked national outrage and led to UMNO's election defeat in 2018 after governing Malaysia since independence. Despite the embezzlement conviction, Najib remains influential in his party, which is now part of the government that came to power in 2022.
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