Malaysia's king grants ex-PM Najib Razak the right to serve the rest of his graft sentence under house arrest

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Malaysia's King has permitted former prime minister Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his corruption sentence under house arrest, ending his time in prison. The decision followed a meeting of the pardons board at the palace, which had sparked intense speculation about clemency for Najib. The ruling effectively sees the convicted ex-leader leave jail without a full pardon.

Najib was convicted of graft offences linked to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal that rocked Malaysia.

The pardons board met at the palace earlier on Friday, triggering a wave of media speculation hours before the decision was confirmed.

Critics are likely to argue the move amounts to a backdoor release for a man whose corruption case was one of the largest in Asian political history.