SHAH ALAM, Sept 18 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been granted a conditional pardon by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028.
However, the conditional pardon is subject to Najib paying a RM50 million fine, the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister’s Department said in a statement.
The decision was made at the 64th meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya held today.
“His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim has consented to grant a conditional pardon to Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, under which he may serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, subject to the payment of a RM50 million fine.
“He shall comply with the conditions imposed, failing which the conditional pardon shall be revoked and he shall immediately continue serving the remainder of his sentence in prison,” it said.
On September 11, it was reported that Sultan Ibrahim had consented to the immediate release of 65 prisoners during the 63rd meeting of the Pardons Board, but decided to defer Najib’s pardon application to a future meeting.
Najib, 73, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, has been in prison since August 23, 2022, after he was found guilty in the RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd case linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal. Najib has denied wrongdoing.
In 2024, the Pardons Board, chaired by then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, halved his 12-year prison term to six years and reduced his RM210 million fine to RM50 million.
Najib subsequently sought a court order compelling the government to implement an alleged addendum order by Al-Sultan Abdullah that would have allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. The High Court dismissed the application last year.
In a separate case, Najib was convicted in December last year of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.3 billion in 1MDB-linked funds.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined RM11.4 billion, but is currently appealing the conviction and sentence.
