Malaysia court clears Najib Razak for house arrest

Malaysia’s High Court on Tuesday cleared former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his reduced six-year sentence under house arrest, resolving a legal obstacle that had delayed his transfer from prison. The ruling does not establish that he had physically moved to his Kuala Lumpur home by publication.

Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Aslam Zainuddin ordered that Najib serve the remainder of the sentence under house arrest in accordance with his conditional pardon. The ruling followed intervention by the Attorney General’s Chambers, which had paused the transfer while raising legal questions about the pardon and an order allowing Najib to leave prison.

Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said the arrangements were settled and that his client was to remain at home until August 23, 2028. Another report said the transfer was expected later on Tuesday. The reports do not confirm that it was completed.

Najib had been due to leave prison after his political party paid a fine required under the pardon. The transfer was halted after the attorney general sought legal clarification. The intervention prompted a response from King Sultan Ibrahim, who warned that...