Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrived home Tuesday to serve the remainder of his corruption sentence under house arrest after four years in prison over the 1MDB scandal that saw $4.5 billion siphoned out of the state investment fund.
The transfer followed a royal pardon and a court ruling that ended a legal dispute over his release from prison.
Najib, 73, reached his Kuala Lumpur residence in a convoy escorted by police and prison vehicles, with supporters waiting outside.
"It's a final relief," his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters, adding that house arrest was "still an imprisonment because he can't leave the house unless he gets special permission or for a special reason."
Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar granted Najib a conditional pardon in September, allowing him to complete his reduced six-year sentence at home once a court-imposed fine was paid.
His political party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) which governed Malaysia for six decades following independence, paid the fine on Friday. Najib briefly left prison but was returned hours later after the attorney general sought legal clarification.
The king subsequently warned against defying the pardon, which he said was "clear, explicit and without any ambiguity." The Kuala Lumpur High Court issued a fresh order Tuesday allowing the transfer.
