Nov 6, 11:01 AM
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Transferred to House Arrest
Political party UMNO pays $12 million fine via crowdfunding following a royal pardon granted by King Sultan Ibrahim.
Malaysian authorities have issued an order allowing former Prime Minister Najib Razak to transfer from prison to house arrest following the payment of a court-mandated fine. Defense lawyer Farhan Shafee confirmed on Friday that he was delivering the official order to Kajang prison to execute the transition.
The transfer follows a royal pardon granted in September by King Sultan Ibrahim, which authorized the former head of government to serve the remainder of his active sentence at his residence. To clear the legal requirements for his release from prison, Najib’s political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), conducted a crowdfunding campaign to pay the 50 million ringgit ($12 million) fine. Party organizers raised the funds because Najib’s personal bank accounts remain frozen under court orders.
Najib was imprisoned in 2022 after his conviction on charges of corruption and embezzlement involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a sovereign wealth fund he established while serving as prime minister between 2009 and 2018. International and domestic investigators concluded that roughly $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund, with more than $1 billion traced to accounts associated with Najib. Throughout the legal proceedings, Najib maintained his innocence, asserting that he was blamed for a global fraud scheme executed by others.
The transition to house arrest takes place amid ongoing legal proceedings regarding separate charges linked to the 1MDB scandal. In a secondary trial, Najib was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay a $2.5 billion fine for money laundering and abuse of power. His legal team appealed the verdict and requested a stay of execution based on health concerns and financial hardship, but a court rejected the plea in September on the grounds that the severity of the crimes constituted a primary public interest.
The pardon and subsequent release order have generated discussion regarding Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration. While Anwar has publicly reiterated his stance against corruption, observers noted political pressure from UMNO, a key partner in the ruling coalition. Under the terms of the September pardon, Najib's current house arrest term is scheduled to run until 2028.
Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com
