Malaysian Court Rejects Najib's House Arrest Plea Amid Ongoing 1MDB Saga

A Malaysian court denied jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak's request to serve his sentence under house arrest. Najib faces additional trials over his role in the 1MDB scandal, where billions were misappropriated. The ruling tests current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's anti-corruption resolve.

A Malaysian court has denied a bid by jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. This is the first of two significant rulings faced by Najib this week related to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

In 2022, Najib began serving a 12-year sentence for his role in this notorious scandal. Although a royal "addendum order" suggested his sentence could be served at home, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled the order unenforceable as it lacked the necessary consultation with the nation's pardons board.

This decision precedes a verdict on Najib's involvement in embezzling over $2 billion from 1MDB, raising questions about the commitment of current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government to fight corruption.

(With inputs from agencies.)