Malaysia's King Grants Najib Conditional Pardon, Allowing House Arrest

Malaysia's king has granted a conditional pardon to jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison term for graft under house arrest, the Legal Affairs Department under the Prime Minister's office said.

The decision was made at a Pardons Board meeting convened suddenly on Friday, a week after the board had deferred Najib's latest clemency application to a future meeting. It marks an unprecedented use of house arrest as a form of royal clemency in Malaysia and could renew debate over royal powers, the rule of law and the treatment of the country's most prominent corruption convict.

Under the terms announced, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar granted a conditional pardon that permits Najib to serve the rest of his sentence at home until Aug. 23, 2028, provided he pays the 50 million ringgit (about $12 million) fine imposed by the court. The statement said Najib must also comply with conditions set, failing which the pardon will be forfeited. No further details were provided.

Najib, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2022, after Malaysia's top court upheld his conviction in a graft case linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. He was originally sentenced in 2020 to 12 years in prison and fined 210 million ringgit (about $51.5 million) for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving 42 million ringgit (about $10.3 million) channeled into his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.

In January 2024, a Pardons Board chaired by the then-king halved his sentence to six years and reduced his fine to 50 million ringgit. Najib has maintained that the previous king, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, also issued an addendum order allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. But the High Court ruled that the alleged house arrest order was not enforceable because it had not been raised or discussed by the Pardons Board at its January 2024 meeting.

The house-arrest order also raises questions about a separate graft sentence for Najib. In December 2025, he was found guilty of abuse of power and money laundering related to over $700 million channeled into his bank accounts from 1MDB, in his main trial tied to the fund. He was sentenced to another 15 years in prison and fined 11.4 billion ringgit (about $2.8 billion), to take effect after his existing sentence ends. He is appealing that conviction.

House arrest had been discussed as part of broader criminal-justice reforms in Malaysia. In 2024, the government said proposed legislation allowing home detention in certain circumstances was aimed at reducing prison overcrowding and recidivism, not designed specifically for Najib.

Najib set up the 1MDB development fund shortly after taking office in 2009. Investigators allege at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by his associates through layers of bank accounts in the United States and other countries. The funds were allegedly used to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, art and jewelry.

National outrage over the 1MDB scandal led to the historic 2018 election defeat of the party that had governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957. Despite his conviction, Najib still holds clout in his party, the United Malays National Organization, which is now part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government that took power after the 2022 elections.