Malaysia court clears way for ex-PM Najib to start house arrest

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia’s High Court has cleared the way for jailed former prime minister Najib Razak to start his house arrest, state news agency Bernama reported on Tuesday (Nov 10).

Najib was expected to be transferred from jail on Friday after a fine was paid as a condition of a royal pardon, but the transfer was halted after a last-minute intervention by the attorney-general.

Najib, prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was found guilty of corruption in relation to the embezzlement of billions of dollars tied to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund he co-founded while in power. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.

The court ordered on Tuesday that Najib could start house arrest, effective immediately, Bernama reported. Najib’s lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment.

On Friday, the attorney-general suspended the implementation of the house arrest, saying questions had arisen over the legal interpretation of King Sultan Ibrahim’s pardon and a court order allowing Najib to leave jail.

But the king warned on Saturday that any attempt to challenge his order could amount to defying a pardon that was “clear, explicit and without any ambiguity”.

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One of Malaysia’s most influential and divisive politicians, Najib has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the 1MDB case and insists he was made the scapegoat for the ⁠complex, globe-spanning scheme that siphoned away as much as US$4.5 billion, according to US investigators.

More than US$1 billion allegedly ended up in accounts linked to Najib, 1MDB’s co-founder, prosecutors have said.

He was also convicted of abuse of power and money laundering in a separate 1MDB-related case in December and sentenced to 15 years in prison with fines of US$2.8 billion. He has appealed that verdict. REUTERS