Najib Razak's Lawyers Say He Is Working to Meet House Arrest Conditions

Lawyers for Malaysia's jailed former prime minister, Najib Razak, said on Sunday that he is working to satisfy the conditions required for him to leave prison and serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest, including payment of a 50-million-ringgit fine, equivalent to about $12 million.

The lawyers said Najib's ability to meet that condition does not rest entirely with him, because a significant portion of his assets, bank accounts and properties remain subject to freeze orders and enforcement proceedings brought by the government.

Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was convicted of corruption over the embezzlement of billions of dollars linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund he co-founded while in office. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

On Friday, Malaysia's king agreed to allow Najib to leave jail and serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. It was the second royal pardon connected to his conviction in the multi-billion-dollar financial scandal.

The Prisons Department said in a statement on Sunday that it and the home affairs ministry were awaiting official written confirmation of the pardon before taking any action. Under Malaysian law, the home affairs minister can gazette any premises as a prison, a power that could be used to designate Najib's home as the place where he serves his sentence.

Najib's lawyers also said he has been deeply moved by the public support he has received.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, president of Najib's UMNO party, said on Friday that a collection fund would be launched for party members and supporters to help Najib pay the fine. Local media reported that the party had raised almost 1 million ringgit by noon on Saturday.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's multi-party government, which includes both the DAP and Najib's UMNO, has seen growing internal rifts over its handling of corruption issues.