Najib Razak's Bid for House Arrest Denied Amid 1MDB Scandal

A court in Malaysia denied former Prime Minister Najib Razak's request to serve his prison sentence at home, claiming procedural errors in the royal order. Najib, imprisoned for 1MDB-related corruption, insists on an 'addendum order' for house arrest. The court emphasized that the order lacked validity without pardons board consultation.

A Malaysian court has denied former Prime Minister Najib Razak's attempt to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest. The court cited procedural inconsistencies in a royal order that Najib claims would allow such a move.

Najib has been incarcerated since 2022 following a 12-year sentence for corruption connected to the multi-billion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal. Although his sentence was halved last year through a pardon, Najib insists a supplementary royal order grants him house arrest. Despite several government officials denying knowledge of this order, confirmations from the ex-king's office have emerged.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court acknowledged the document's existence on Monday, but declared it unenforceable, as it hadn't been discussed with the pardons board, which is a constitutional requirement. The decision comes ahead of a major verdict in Najib's trial concerning the 1MDB controversy, where U.S. investigators allege serious financial misappropriations.

(With inputs from agencies.)