Najib Razak swaps jail for mansion after Malaysia court clears house arrest

Najib Razak left jail for home detention on Tuesday after Malaysia's high court ruled his house arrest took effect immediately. The former prime minister's mansion, in one of the capital's most exclusive neighbourhoods, had been declared a federal prison ahead of his arrival.

The move to his home was meant to happen Friday but was put on hold when the attorney general asked for clarification of the royal decree behind it. The high court settled the question Tuesday. Najib's party paid a $12m fine as part of the pardon terms that let him finish his sentence at home.

Critics called the release a blow to Malaysia's anti-corruption fight and questioned its legal basis, arguing Malaysian law makes no provision for house arrest. In September, the King of Malaysia granted Najib a conditional pardon to serve his final two years at home.

Najib, prime minister from 2009 to 2018, denied wrongdoing but was convicted at two separate trials. In the first, he was sentenced in 2020 to 12 years and jailed in 2022, a term later halved on appeal. That conviction covered abuse of power, money laundering and breach of trust over 42 million ringgit ($10m; £7.7m) moved from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit, into his private accounts.

He is appealing a 15-year sentence handed down at a second trial in December 2025, where he was convicted of misappropriating nearly 2.3 billion Malaysian ringgit ($569m; £422m) from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. He is due to start serving that term once the house arrest ends, expected in August 2028.