Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak officially placed under house arrest

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest after receiving conditional parole on Friday.

Najib, 73, was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 in connection with a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal involving the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was also the subject of money laundering investigations. He was also fined 210 million ringgit (approximately Rp900 billion).

In 2024, the pardons board halved Najib’s prison sentence—meaning he is now scheduled for release in 2028—and reduced the fine to 50 million ringgit.

The case against Najib involved the transfer of 42 million ringgit from SRC International Sdn. Bhd., a former subsidiary of 1MDB, into his personal bank accounts during his tenure as Prime Minister.

Najib, who also served as Finance Minister while leading the government from 2009 until his removal in the 2018 election, previously served as an advisor to SRC and as the chairman of the 1MDB advisory board.