Court Rejects Najib's House Arrest Appeal Amid Graft Convictions

A Malaysian court has dismissed former Prime Minister Najib Razak's attempt to serve his corruption sentence under house arrest. The High Court found that a royal order granting this was unconstitutional. Najib will remain in prison. His lawyers plan to appeal the decision.

A Malaysian court has rejected an attempt by former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve the rest of his sentence for graft under house arrest. The High Court ruled that a rare royal order, which could have allowed the house arrest, wasn't valid constitutionally.

Najib's lawyer announced plans to appeal the verdict. The 72-year-old is currently serving his term, set to end in August 2028, after his 12-year sentence was halved last year. His conviction is connected to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB state fund scandal that ultimately toppled his government in 2018.

The decision comes amid an upcoming court ruling related to Najib's second graft trial. If convicted, he could face additional prison time of up to 20 years per count of abuse of power and five years per count of money laundering. Despite legal challenges, Najib remains influential within his party, now part of Malaysia's unity government.

(With inputs from agencies.)