Najib Razak, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, returned to his residence in Kuala Lumpur to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest after receiving a conditional royal pardon. This move has sparked criticism that it undermines anti-corruption efforts, while Najib still faces a 15-year prison sentence in the 1MDB corruption case.
Najib Razak, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, returned to his Kuala Lumpur home on Tuesday night (10 Nov) to begin serving the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, following an immediate authorization by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
The 73-year-old Najib arrived at his residence in a luxury neighborhood of the capital in an SUV convoy guarded by heavily armed police, amid media and supporters gathered nearby. The access road was blocked with police tape and traffic cones.
This return home marks the end of Najib's four-year prison term related to corruption involving Malaysia's development fund, 1MDB, one of the largest national wealth fund fraud cases globally.
Najib received a conditional royal pardon from the Malaysian King in September, allowing him to serve the remaining two years of his sentence at home under the condition of paying a $12 million fine, which his UMNO party settled last Friday.
However, the transfer to house arrest was temporarily halted after the Attorney General requested clarification of the royal pardon decree, before the High Court confirmed on Tuesday that the house confinement order is effective immediately.
Judge Aslam Sainuddin stated that Najib will serve a reduced six-year sentence under house arrest according to the conditions of the royal pardon.
Najib's lawyer said he felt greatly relieved after a long wait to return home but emphasized that house arrest still restricts his freedom, as he cannot leave without special permission or urgent reasons.
Najib's release from prison has drawn criticism from anti-corruption advocates who see it as undermining efforts to fight corruption and have questioned the legal basis for house arrest since Malaysian law does not clearly provide for this form of sentence.
Additionally, Anthony Loke, the Transport Minister and leader of an anti-corruption coalition party in the government, resigned on Tuesday in protest of the decision.
Najib served as Malaysia's Prime Minister from 2009 to 2018 before being ousted amid public outrage following revelations of the 1MDB corruption scandal, which had global repercussions and involved prominent figures in Malaysia, investment bank Goldman Sachs, and Hollywood personalities.
Investigators estimate that about $4.5 billion was embezzled from the 1MDB fund, which Najib co-founded, into personal accounts and others. Prosecutors stated more than $1 billion was transferred to accounts linked to Najib.
Funds from the scandal were used to purchase luxury real estate, yachts, and valuable artwork, including paintings by Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, according to investigators.
Najib denies the allegations, claiming he was deceived by advisers, particularly financier Jho Low, who remains at large, and maintains his innocence.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 for abuse of power, money laundering, and breach of trust involving 42 million ringgit (about $10 million) from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit, which was transferred to his personal accounts; his sentence was later reduced to six years on appeal.
Najib was also sentenced to 15 years in December 2023 in a second case involving the embezzlement of nearly 2.3 billion ringgit (approximately $569 million) from 1MDB, which he has appealed.
He must begin serving the sentence from the second case after completing his house arrest, expected to end in August 2028.
Najib is the son of one of Malaysia's founding figures and was groomed for leadership from a young age but faced a dramatic fall from power amid rising public anger over the corruption scandal. Investigations under successive governments have also implicated his wife, Rosmah Mansor, in corruption allegations.