Malaysia's Najib Razak to serve graft sentence under house arrest

Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak will serve the remainder of his prison term for graft under house arrest after his political party paid a 50 million-ringgit ($18 million AUD) fine, according to singletonargus.com.au and goulburnpost.com.au.

Najib, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2022 following Malaysia's top court upholding his conviction in his first graft trial related to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB state fund looting. The king granted a rare clemency in September allowing him to serve the rest of his reduced six-year sentence under house arrest.

The house arrest applies only to the first trial’s sentence and does not cover a separate 15-year prison term Najib received in December 2025 for corruption and money laundering in a second 1MDB-related trial.

The United Malays National Organisation's secretary-general Asyraf Wajid Dusuki said the party completed payment of the fine earlier on Friday at the High Court, fulfilling a key condition of the royal pardon. Police were stationed at Najib's Kuala Lumpur home with roads blocked in preparation for his transfer.

Najib originally set up the 1MDB development fund after taking office in 2009. Investigators allege at least $4.5 billion USD was stolen and laundered through multiple bank accounts worldwide, funding Hollywood films and luxury purchases including hotels, a yacht, art, and jewelry.

Najib was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 on corruption charges. The timing of his move from prison to house arrest has not been made clear by authorities.