Najib Razak Clears Final Legal Hurdle for House Arrest at His Kuala Lumpur Home

Najib Razak has cleared the last legal obstacle to serving the rest of his reduced graft sentence under house arrest, according to his lawyer. The imprisoned former Malaysian prime minister was expected to leave custody for his home in Kuala Lumpur after a High Court ruling on Tuesday, bringing an unsettled transfer process to a close. Najib has been in prison since August 2022, when a court upheld his conviction in a case tied to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB state investment fund scandal. He received royal clemency in September, reducing his sentence and allowing him to serve the remainder at home after paying a court-imposed fine. His move out of prison was briefly interrupted last Friday. Najib’s political party paid the 50 million ringgit fine, and he left custody, but he was returned hours later after the attorney general sought legal clarification about the transfer. The dispute prompted a public rebuke from the palace, which said the king’s decision granting house arrest was clear and should be respected. Lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Tuesday that the legal questions had been settled. He described the outcome as a relief for Najib, who had been waiting for the transfer. The former leader appeared in court that day, and the move to his home was expected later. Police subsequently sealed off the road leading to the residence. The house-arrest arrangement applies only to Najib’s reduced six-year sentence in his first graft trial. It does not cover a separate 15-year sentence imposed last December for corruption and money laundering in another case connected to 1MDB. Najib is appealing that sentence; if the appeal fails, he could return to prison after his house arrest ends. Najib, who led Malaysia from 2009 to 2018, has denied wrongdoing. His imprisonment made him the country’s first former leader jailed in a sentence related to the 1MDB scandal, which drew investigations in the United States and other countries.