Najib Razak’s House Arrest Halted Hours After RM50 Million Fine Was Paid

Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak came within hours of leaving prison on Friday, 6 November 2026 — and then stayed exactly where he was.

His political party had paid the RM50 million (about $12.3 million) fine required under a royal pardon. A court in Kuala Lumpur had issued an order clearing him to go home. His house had even been officially declared a prison so he could serve the rest of his sentence there.

Then Malaysia’s Attorney-General’s Chambers stepped in and stopped it all.

The last-minute intervention has thrown one of Malaysia’s biggest corruption cases back into confusion, raised a rare public clash between the country’s top law officers and the former prime minister’s lawyers, and left a simple question unanswered: is Najib Razak free to go home, or does he still owe years in prison?

What happened on Friday

The day began as if Najib’s long legal saga was finally turning a page.

Najib, 73, has been held at Kajang Prison, outside Kuala Lumpur, since August 2022. He was jailed after Malaysia’s top court upheld his conviction for taking RM42 million (about $10.3 million) from SRC International, a former unit of the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, known as 1MDB.

In September 2026, Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim, granted Najib a conditional royal pardon. The pardon said Najib could serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest instead of in prison — as long as he paid a RM50 million fine and met the other conditions attached to the pardon.

On Friday, his party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), said it had completed payment of the fine. The money was raised through a fund set up in September called the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund, after Najib’s lawyers said he did not have enough money of his own to pay it. His bank accounts have been frozen.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court then issued sealed orders discharging Najib in relation to the fine and clearing the way for his transfer home. His lawyer, Farhan Shafee, told reporters he had the court order in hand and was delivering it to Kajang Prison. The plan, he said, was for the move to happen on Friday itself.

At the same time, the Home Minister, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, signed an order declaring Najib’s home — No. 11, Jalan Langgak Duta in Kuala Lumpur — an official prison under Section 3 of the Prisons Act 1995. That is the legal step that makes house arrest possible: the house itself becomes the place of detention.

Najib even left the prison briefly during the day for a scheduled dental check, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke. Local media reported that he had walked out of Kajang Prison. For a few hours, it looked as though the former prime minister was finally going home.

Then the Attorney-General’s Chambers issued a three-page statement saying the whole thing should stop.

Why the attorney general stopped it

The Attorney-General’s Chambers, known as the AGC, said questions had come up about how to read the King’s conditional pardon and the court order that followed it. Until those questions are answered, it said, the house arrest should be put on hold.

“In this regard, the implementation of house arrest… should be temporarily suspended until further investigation and clarification… are completed,” the statement said.

Najib’s current detention status in prison “will be maintained as some legal questions regarding the interpretation of Najib’s conditional royal pardon need clarifying,” the AGC added.

The problem, the AGC explained, is that the pardon can be read in two very different ways.

Under the first reading, paying the RM50 million fine only settles the fine. Najib’s prison sentence — reduced from 12 years to six years in 2024 — would still run until 23 August 2028. House arrest would simply be a different place to serve those remaining years, not the end of the punishment.

Under the second reading, paying the fine switches the pardon on in full. The prison sentence itself would be treated as finished, and Najib would effectively be free.

Those two readings lead to completely different outcomes. One leaves Najib under detention at home for almost two more years. The other ends his punishment in the SRC International case altogether. The AGC said it needed time to study the matter and would “take further action once studies and clarification regarding this matter are completed.”

The AGC was careful to say its move was not a challenge to the royal pardon itself, but an effort to make sure the pardon and the court order are carried out correctly and in line with the law.

Najib’s lawyers hit back

Najib’s legal team did not accept the AGC’s reasoning. In a statement on Friday, the law firm Shafee & Co said the Attorney-General’s Chambers has no power to suspend or delay a royal pardon, and demanded that Najib be moved to house arrest without further delay.

The lawyers argued that every condition the King had set had already been met. The pardon, they said, named one condition — payment of the fine — and that condition has now been fulfilled.

“The Pardon is an express order of His Majesty. It names one condition, payment of the fine, and that condition has been met in relation to the said fine,” the legal team said.

They went further. The lawyers said the Attorney-General has no power to put a hold on the King’s royal power of pardon or on a sealed court order, and argued that Article 145(3) of Malaysia’s Federal Constitution does not give the Attorney-General that authority.

“The Attorney General has no power of stay of His Majesty’s royal prerogative of pardon. The current stand of the Attorney General at the least amounts to contempt and possibly even treason of His Majesty,” the statement said.

It is a sharp accusation, and it shows how high the stakes have become. On one side is the country’s top legal office, saying it needs time to get the law right. On the other is the legal team of a former prime minister, saying the King’s word is final and the delay itself breaks the law.

For now, Najib remains at Kajang Prison. He had not left the prison for good when the AGC issued its statement, and the house arrest arrangement is on hold until the legal questions are settled.

The case that put Najib in prison

To understand why this matters so much in Malaysia, it helps to go back to the beginning.

Najib Razak was Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 to 2018. Soon after taking office, he set up 1MDB, a state investment fund meant to drive economic development. Instead, the fund became the centre of one of the largest financial scandals in the world. Investigators in the United States have said at least $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB and moved through bank accounts in several countries by Najib’s associates. Najib has always denied any wrongdoing.

The case that sent him to prison was the first of his trials, and it concerned a smaller sum. Prosecutors said RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB, was channelled into Najib’s personal bank accounts.

After a long trial, the High Court convicted Najib in July 2020 on all seven charges: one count of abuse of power, three counts of criminal breach of trust and three counts of money laundering. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million (about $51.5 million).

The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in December 2021. In August 2022, Malaysia’s Federal Court, the highest court in the country, rejected his final appeal. Najib was taken to Kajang Prison on 23 August 2022, the same day.

Two pardons, and a long road to house arrest

Najib’s sentence has already been cut once. In February 2024, the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya reduced his prison term from 12 years to six years and lowered his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million. That set his release date at 23 August 2028, subject to remission for good behaviour.

Even then, there was argument about whether an extra order existed that would let him serve the rest of his sentence at home. Najib’s team said the former King had issued an “addendum order” allowing house arrest. In December 2025, a High Court judge dismissed Najib’s application to enforce that addendum, ruling that it had never been discussed or decided by the Pardons Board and that there was no legal way to carry it out.

Then came the second pardon. On 18 September 2026, King Sultan Ibrahim granted Najib a conditional pardon that expressly allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until 23 August 2028 — provided he paid the RM50 million fine and followed the other conditions.

For weeks, the question was whether the money could be found. Najib’s lawyers said he could not pay it himself. UMNO set up the solidarity fund in September, and on Friday the party announced the payment was complete.

That is what made Friday feel like a turning point — until the AGC’s statement landed.

The second case waiting in the background

Whatever happens with the house arrest, Najib’s legal troubles are far from over. The pardon and the house arrest only cover the SRC International case. A second, separate case is still hanging over him.

In December 2025, the Kuala Lumpur High Court convicted Najib in the main 1MDB trial on four charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering, involving more than RM2.3 billion from 1MDB. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined RM11.4 billion. That sentence was ordered to start after he finishes his current SRC sentence, and he is appealing against it.

His application to pause that sentence while the appeal is heard was rejected by the High Court in October 2026.

In plain terms: even if the house arrest goes ahead and even if the pardon is read in the way most favourable to Najib, the 15-year sentence from the second case would still be waiting. A royal pardon for one case does not wipe out a conviction in another, as the Malaysian Bar pointed out in a statement in September 2026. The Bar also stressed that a pardon is not the same as being cleared of wrongdoing — it does not erase the conviction or declare the person innocent.

Why this matters beyond Malaysia

The Najib saga has never been only a Malaysian story. The 1MDB scandal drew in banks, investigators and courts in the United States, Switzerland, Singapore and several other countries. Billions of dollars moved through the global financial system, and the case became a test of whether a powerful political leader could be held to account.

Inside Malaysia, Najib remains a powerful and divisive figure. He led UMNO, the party that governed Malaysia for more than six decades, and he still has strong support among its members — as the fundraising for his fine showed. At the same time, his conviction was seen by many Malaysians as proof that no one is above the law.

The dispute is technical, but the question at its heart is simple: when the King says a prisoner can serve the rest of his sentence at home, who gets to decide what that means?

What happens next

No timetable has been given for the AGC’s review. The chambers said only that it would act once its studies and clarification are complete.

First, whether the AGC decides the fine payment ends the SRC sentence or simply changes where it is served. That single decision determines whether Najib is nearly free or still detained at home until August 2028.

Second, whether Najib’s lawyers go back to court to challenge the suspension. They have already said the AGC has no power to halt the pardon, and a court application would put the question directly before a judge.

For now, the man who once led Malaysia is still behind bars at Kajang Prison — not because a court sent him back, but because the country’s top lawyers cannot agree on what the King’s pardon actually means.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Najib Razak?

Najib Razak was Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 to 2018. He set up the state investment fund 1MDB, which later became the centre of a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal. He was convicted in 2020 of taking RM42 million from SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary, and has been in prison since August 2022. He denies any wrongdoing.

What is a royal pardon in Malaysia?

Under Malaysia’s Federal Constitution, the King can grant a pardon, or reduce a sentence or fine, after a person has been convicted. A pardon does not erase the conviction or declare the person innocent. It changes the punishment. In Najib’s case, the King’s conditional pardon allowed him to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest instead of in prison, as long as he paid the RM50 million fine.

What is house arrest?

House arrest means serving a sentence at home instead of in prison. The person is still detained and must follow strict conditions. In Najib’s case, his home at No. 11, Jalan Langgak Duta in Kuala Lumpur was officially declared a prison under the Prisons Act, so the house itself is legally his place of detention.

Why was Najib’s house arrest stopped?

Malaysia’s Attorney-General’s Chambers said there are two possible ways to read the King’s pardon. One reading says paying the fine only settles the fine, and the six-year prison sentence continues under house arrest until August 2028. The other says paying the fine brings the sentence to an end. The AGC suspended the move until the legal position is clarified.

Does the pardon mean Najib is free?

No. Even under the reading most favourable to Najib, the pardon only covers the SRC International case. In December 2025, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison in a separate 1MDB case, and he is appealing that conviction. That sentence was ordered to start after the SRC sentence ends.

What is 1MDB?

1MDB, short for 1Malaysia Development Berhad, is a state investment fund Najib set up shortly after becoming prime minister in 2009. Investigators in the United States have said at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered through bank accounts around the world.

Conclusion

Friday was supposed to be the day Najib Razak finally went home. The fine was paid, the court order was signed, and his house had been declared a prison. Instead, the day ended with the former prime minister still in Kajang Prison and Malaysia’s legal system arguing over the meaning of a royal pardon.

Sources

• Reuters (via Devdiscourse) — “Malaysia attorney general intervenes to halt ex-PM Najib’s house arrest transfer” (6 November 2026): https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4002750-malaysia-attorney-general-intervenes-to-halt-ex-pm-najibs-house-arrest-transfer
• Reuters (via Devdiscourse) — “Malaysia attorney general suspends Najib’s transfer to house arrest, seeks clarification” (6 November 2026): https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4002649-malaysia-attorney-general-suspends-najibs-transfer-to-house-arrest-seeks-clarification
• Scoop.my — “AGC has no power to halt house arrest, Najib must be released immediately from Kajang: lawyers” (6 November 2026): https://www.scoop.my/news/302357/agc-has-no-power-to-halt-house-arrest-najib-must-be-released-immediately-from-kajang-lawyers/
• Associated Press (via Ottumwa Courier) — “Former Malaysian leader Najib stays in prison after house arrest is put on hold” (6 November 2026): https://www.ottumwacourier.com/news/national_news/former-malaysian-leader-najib-stays-in-prison-after-house-arrest-is-put-on-hold/article_d3e5e5e1-7390-5ca2-8c84-e2491dc39cfa.html
• StratNews Global (CNA/Reuters) — “Malaysia plan to transfer jailed ex-PM Najib to house arrest stalled” (6 November 2026): https://stratnewsglobal.com/asia/malaysia/malaysia-plan-to-transfer-jailed-ex-pm-najib-to-house-arrest-stalled/
• Malaysian Bar — “Press release: 1MDB and SRC asset seizures and asset returns, convictions and pardons” (September 2026): https://www.malaysianbar.org.my/article/news/press-statements/press-statements/press-release-1mdb-and-src-asset-seizures-and-asset-returns-convictions-and-pardons

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.