Malaysia's Najib Razak pays fine, clearing way for house arrest
The former prime minister's release terms require him to serve the rest of his sentence at home until Aug. 23, 2028.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak paid a 50 million Malaysian ringgit ($12.3 million) fine on Friday, clearing the way for him to serve the rest of his prison sentence under house arrest, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim granted Najib a conditional pardon last month.
The pardon allows him to serve the remainder of his term at home until Aug. 23, 2028, provided he pays the fine and meets other requirements set out in the pardon order.
The fine relates to a corruption case linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the state investment fund known as 1MDB.
Najib, 73, has been held at Kajang Prison since Aug. 23, 2022, after Malaysia's Federal Court upheld his conviction in a case involving SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.
A court convicted Najib in 2020 on seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
The charges involved 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) transferred from SRC International into his accounts.
Najib was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In 2024, the Pardons Board under the previous king cut his term in half to six years, moving his scheduled release to Aug. 23, 2028.
The 1MDB scandal is one of the largest corruption cases in Malaysia's recent history.
Najib served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, and he has long denied wrongdoing in the cases against him.