A high court in Malaysia has cleared all legal hurdles for former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve the rest of his graft sentence under house arrest
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- A high court in Malaysia on Tuesday cleared all legal hurdles for the transfer of imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak to his home to serve the remainder of his graft sentence under house arrest, his lawyer said.
Najib has been behind bars since August 2022, when the Kuala Lumpur High Court upheld his graft conviction linked to a multibillion-dollar looting of the state investment fund 1MDB. In September, Najib was granted royal clemency, allowing him to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest once he pays a court-imposed fine.
Last Friday, he left prison after his political party paid the 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine but he was brought back hours later after the attorney general blocked the transfer, seeking legal clarifications.
The attorney general's request sparked a public rebuke from the palace, which said that King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar’s prerogative of pardon for Najib that allowed the house arrest was clear and must be respected. It said any attempts to challenge it would amount to defying the royal order.
Najib's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Tuesday all was settled for the former prime minister's…
