Former Malaysian PM Najib Moved to House Arrest in '6 Trillion Won Corruption Scandal'

Home after four years in prison
King's Pardons Board approves house arrest, conditional on fine payment
Anti-corruption camp pushes back

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, 73, who had been imprisoned in connection with a massive corruption scandal involving more than 6 trillion won, has been transferred to house arrest and left prison for the first time in four years.

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak greets reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in Malaysia on the 10th (local time), ahead of his transfer to house arrest. AP-Yonhap News

According to AFP and other news outlets on November 11 (local time), the Kuala Lumpur High Court issued an order the previous day allowing Najib to serve the remaining approximately two years of his sentence under house arrest. He was moved from Kajang Prison on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur to his home in an affluent area of the city.

In September, the Pardons Board, chaired by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, decided that Najib could serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 2028, on the condition that he pay a fine of 50 million ringgit (about 16.4 billion won). His party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), held a fundraising campaign and paid the fine on his behalf on November 6.

The transfer process was also marked by confusion. After the court initially issued the order, the Attorney General's Chambers temporarily suspended its implementation, saying it was legally ambiguous. Najib left prison but was returned a few hours later. Sultan Ibrahim warned, "Challenging the (house arrest) order is tantamount to defying the King's command."

Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, had been serving a six-year prison sentence since August 2022 in connection with the 1MDB state investment fund scandal. Malaysian prosecutors believe that more than $4.5 billion (about 6.01 trillion won) was siphoned from 1MDB, with more than $1 billion (about 1.34 trillion won) flowing into accounts linked to Najib.

In December last year, he was also sentenced to 15 years in prison in a separate trial involving abuse of power and money laundering related to 1MDB, and is appealing the verdict. If the sentence is upheld, he will have to return to prison after his house arrest ends.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke, secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), the largest party in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, resigned in protest against Najib's transfer to house arrest.

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