Malaysia's attorney general blocks house arrest for Najib

Associated Press · 2026-11-06 06:20 UTC

Malaysia's attorney general has temporarily blocked former Prime Minister Najib Razak's transfer from prison to house arrest. Najib was taken out of prison Friday after his political party paid a $12.3 million fine for the house arrest. The attorney general's office says more legal clarification is needed so Najib remains in prison. He has been imprisoned since August 2022 for his role in the 1MDB scandal. Malaysia’s king granted him clemency in September, allowing house arrest for his reduced six-year sentence. The attorney general's office cites legal ambiguities and concerns over how it could affect Najib's consecutive 15-year prison sentence.

Former Malaysian leader Najib stays in prison after house arrest is put on hold

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s attorney general on Friday temporarily blocked the transfer of former Prime Minister Najib Razak from prison to house arrest to serve the remainder of his graft sentence at home, saying more legal clarification was needed.

The last-minute intervention came after local media reported that Najib had left the prison, after his political party paid a 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine required under the terms of a royal pardon allowing house arrest.

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