Malaysia ex-PM Najib arrives home to start house arrest 

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia’s former premier Najib Razak arrived at his home to start his house arrest on Tuesday (Nov 10), ending a four-year stint in prison over his role in a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Najib reached his Kuala Lumpur residence on Tuesday night in a vehicle escorted by police, with a heavy security presence and chaotic scenes as scores of journalists clambered to catch sight of him.

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

Najib had been expected to leave prison last Friday after a fine was paid as a condition of his royal pardon, but the attorney-general abruptly halted the transfer, outraging his political allies and prompting a warning from King Sultan Ibrahim against defying his decree.

The court on Tuesday ruled that an order issued last week be set aside and replaced with a new order that allows Najib’s house arrest to start immediately, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

One of Malaysia’s most influential and divisive politicians, Najib insists that 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.

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