Malaysia ex-PM Najib arrives home to start house arrest

Malaysia's former premier ​Najib Razak arrived at his ‌home ​to start his house arrest on Tuesday, a Reuters journalist said, ending a four-year stint in prison over his ‌role in a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB. Najib reached his Kuala Lumpur residence on Tuesday night in a vehicle escorted by police, with a heavy security ‌presence and chaotic scenes as scores of journalists clambered to catch sight of him.

Najib, ‌prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was found guilty of corruption in relation to the embezzlement of billions of dollars tied to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund he co-founded while ⁠in power. ​He has consistently ⁠denied wrongdoing. Najib had been expected to leave prison last Friday after a fine was paid as a ⁠condition of his royal pardon, but the attorney general abruptly halted the transfer, outraging ​his political allies and prompting a warning from King Sultan Ibrahim against defying his ⁠decree.

The court on Tuesday ruled that an order issued last week be set aside and replaced ⁠with ​a new order that allows Najib's house arrest to start immediately, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said. One of Malaysia's most influential and divisive politicians, Najib insists ⁠he was made the scapegoat for the complex, globe-spanning scheme that siphoned away as ⁠much as $4.5 billion, according ⁠to US investigators.

More than $1 billion allegedly ended up in accounts linked to Najib, 1MDB's co-founder, prosecutors have said.