Malaysian Court Denies Najib Razak’s Bid for House Arrest in 1MDB Case

The Ruling

A Malaysian court on Monday rejected former Prime Minister Najib Razak's bid to serve the remainder of his corruption sentence under house arrest, dealing another blow to the disgraced leader's attempts to mitigate his punishment for the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal. The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that while a royal addendum order for the move existed, it was invalid and unenforceable because the former king had not consulted the country's pardons board.

Legal Standing

Najib had sought a judicial review to compel authorities to execute the royal order, which he claimed was issued last year as part of a partial pardon. However, High Court judge Alice Loke stated that the order was flawed. "The court ruled that the king could not grant house arrest independently of the pardons board," she wrote. "I’m of the view that a house arrest order is not capable of execution, as there is no legal provision for such a mechanism in Malaysia [to be granted this way]."

Reactions and Next Steps

According to reports, Najib showed little emotion during the ruling but smiled after his lawyer described the decision as "shocking" outside the courtroom. Najib maintains his innocence, claiming he was misled by financier Low Taek Jho, the alleged mastermind of the scandal who remains at large.

The ruling was praised by critics, including a former member of parliament who had advocated for his prosecution.

“Faith in the judiciary restored.”

— Charles Santiago, former Malaysian Member of Parliament, via social media

Najib’s legal battles are far from over. This Friday, he is set to receive a verdict in a second, separate graft trial directly linking him to the 1MDB scandal. He faces four charges of abuse of power for obtaining over $700 million and 21 counts of money laundering. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each abuse of power charge and up to five years for each money laundering charge.

Despite his conviction, Najib retains significant influence in his party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which is a key partner in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's current unity government.