In brief
Najib Razak was back in Kajang Prison Friday after a medical exam and a 50‑million‑ringgit fine. A court had ordered him to be placed under house arrest, but Malaysia’s Attorney General’s Chambers said the move was postponed until legal issues surrounding his royal pardon were clarified. The decision keeps him in the same detention facility pending further instructions.
Najib Razak returned to Kajang Prison on Friday evening after a medical examination, following the payment of a 50‑million‑ringgit fine imposed on him in the SRC International corruption case. The move came after a court had sentenced him to house arrest, but the transfer has been deferred pending further legal clarification.
According to local newspaper Berita Harian, Najib was taken to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a medical exam on Friday afternoon before being escorted back to the prison later that evening. His unpaid fine—now settled in full—was one of the conditions of the conditional pardon granted by the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department in September last year.
Malaysian national news agency Bernama cited a statement from Najib’s special officer, Ahmad Lutfi Azhar, who arrived at the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s criminal registry that morning to arrange the fine payment and complete the requisite paperwork. Najib’s lawyer, Farhan Shafee, confirmed that the court had issued a house‑arrest order for him.
A vehicle believed to be carrying Najib was later seen leaving the prison, a report noted by local media as an unverified observation. The incident did not change the legal status of his custody, which remains at Kajang.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, the Attorney General’s Chambers announced that the implementation of Najib’s house arrest had been temporarily deferred, "pending further legal clarification". The decision was echoed by Reuters and the Straits Times, both of which reported the AG’s intervention to halt the transfer to house arrest while a review of the royal pardon and court order was conducted.
Najib has been imprisoned since August 2022 over abuse of power related to SRC International, a former unit of the state investment fund 1MDB. Earlier in 2024, his 12‑year sentence was reduced to six years, and the fine was cut from 210 million ringgit to 50 million ringgit.