Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak is set to leave prison and serve the rest of his corruption sentence at home after his political party paid a 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine. The payment fulfills a condition of a royal pardon granted in September, which allows for his house arrest.
Najib, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2022, when Malaysia's top court upheld his conviction in a trial linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of the state investment fund 1MDB. The royal pardon reduces his original six-year sentence in that case. However, it does not affect a separate 15-year prison sentence imposed in December 2025 for corruption and money laundering charges in a second major trial connected to the 1MDB scandal.
The United Malays National Organization (UMNO), Najib's political party, announced the completion of the fine payment on Friday. The exact timing of his transfer from prison to house arrest remains unclear, though police were present at his Kuala Lumpur residence. He faces house arrest until August 23, 2028, provided the fine was paid.
Najib established the 1MDB fund in 2009. Investigations revealed that at least $4.5 billion was allegedly stolen and laundered through various international accounts. These funds were reportedly used for luxury purchases and financing projects.
Najib was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 210 million ringgit ($51.5 million) in 2020 for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering involving 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) from SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary. In January 2024, his sentence was halved to six years and the fine reduced to 50 million ringgit as part of a conditional pardon.
Najib is appealing his conviction and sentence in the second trial, which carries a 15-year prison term and a 11.4 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) fine. If his appeal fails, he could return to prison after his house arrest period concludes.
The 1MDB scandal was a significant factor in the historic 2018 election defeat of the ruling coalition that had governed Malaysia since its independence. Despite his convictions, Najib continues to hold influence within UMNO, which is now part of the current government formed in 2022.