Najib Razak, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia who has been convicted of corruption, will soon leave prison and be placed under house arrest. This decision was made after his party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), paid a fine of 50 million ringgit (equivalent to 12.3 million dollars) that had been imposed on him.
Details of the Transfer to House Arrest
According to Asfraf Wajid Dusuki, the Secretary-General of UMNO, the party was able to raise the necessary amount through a fundraising campaign. Although the exact timing of Najib's release from prison is not specified, reports indicate that he was seen getting into a vehicle on Friday. Consequently, police were stationed near his home in Kuala Lumpur on Friday and blocked the road leading to his house.
Conviction and Royal Pardon
73-year-old Najib has been sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the 1MDB corruption scandal, known as 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a government investment fund that he established during his premiership from 2009 to 2018. He was also sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 for abuse of power, breach of trust, and money laundering related to 10.3 million dollars, and has been in prison since 2022.
Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, granted Najib a rare royal pardon in September, conditional on the payment of the 50 million ringgit fine, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. This house arrest only pertains to his six-year sentence and does not include a separate 15-year sentence issued in December 2025 for corruption and money laundering related to the 1MDB scandal.
Najib is currently appealing this conviction, which has sentenced him to pay a fine of 11.4 billion ringgit. If he fails in this appeal, he could return to prison after August 23, 2028.
This corruption scandal caused public outrage in Malaysia and led to the electoral defeat of Najib's party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), in 2018. Despite this corruption, Najib still enjoys political support and holds significant influence in his party, which is part of the new government that came to power in 2022.
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