Malaysia's attorney general suspends house arrest for jailed ex-premier Najib

Malaysia's attorney general temporarily suspended the transfer of Najib Razak from prison to house arrest, saying more clarification was needed

Najib will remain in prison until the legal matters are resolved, per the attorney general's office statement Friday

Najib's political party UMNO paid a 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine required under the terms of a royal pardon

Najib has been imprisoned since August 2022 when Malaysia's top court upheld his conviction in his first graft trial linked to the 1MDB scandal

2009: Najib set up the 1MDB development fund shortly after taking office · 2018: Public outrage over the 1MDB scandal led to the ruling coalition's election defeat · 2020: Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 210 million ringgit for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering · August 2022: Malaysia's top court upheld Najib's conviction in his first graft trial, and he was imprisoned · January 2024: The Pardons Board halved his sentence to six years and reduced his fine to 50 million ringgit · December 2025: Najib was sentenced to 15 years in prison for corruption and money laundering in a second major 1MDB-linked trial

50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine paid by UMNO · 73 Najib's age · 6 years reduced sentence in first trial · 15 years second sentence · $4.5 billion amount stolen from 1MDB

Local media reported Najib had already left prison, but the attorney general's office statement suspended the transfer, leaving his status unresolved