Court Clears Former Malaysian Premier Najib Razak for House Arrest

A Malaysian court has cleared jailed former prime minister Najib Razak to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest, but the move itself has been put on hold. Al Jazeera reported the ruling on November 10, 2026.

Judge Aslam Zainuddin of the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered that Najib, 73, serve the remainder of his reduced six-year prison sentence at home under house arrest. The order follows the terms of a conditional pardon, meaning a clemency decision with conditions attached. Najib was granted that pardon in September. As part of its terms, his political party paid a $12 million fine.

Najib was jailed for his role in the theft of public funds from the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state investment company whose collapse became one of the country's largest financial scandals.

Malaysia's attorney general has postponed the transfer to house arrest. The attorney general's office raised questions about the legal interpretation of both the royal pardon and the court order that allowed Najib to leave prison. The office is the government's chief legal adviser and prosecutor.

King Sultan Ibrahim has warned that any attempt to challenge his order letting Najib leave jail for house arrest could amount to defiance of his decree, according to Al Jazeera.

The house arrest order covers only Najib's first conviction. He also faces an additional 15-year prison sentence after a conviction in another 1MDB-linked case. That sentence is set to begin once his house arrest ends.

Najib has appealed the second conviction. His lawyers have asked for the jail term and fines in that case to be halted, citing his poor health and his inability to pay the fine.