Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim on Friday granted former prime minister Najib Razak a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison term under house arrest until August 23, 2028.
The decision was reached at the 64th meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, held at Istana Negara, according to Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama.
Under the order, Najib must pay a fine of 50 million Malaysian ringgit ($12.3 million) and comply with the conditions attached to the pardon.
“He must comply with the conditions imposed and, should he fail to comply with any of these conditions, the conditional pardon will be revoked and he must immediately serve the remainder of his sentence in prison,” the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department said.
Najib, 73, has been imprisoned at Kajang Prison since August 23, 2022, after Malaysia’s Federal Court upheld his conviction in the SRC International corruption case.
He was convicted in 2020 on seven counts involving abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering over 42 million ringgit transferred from SRC International, a former subsidiary of the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), into his personal accounts.
Najib was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 210 million ringgit. In 2024, the Pardons Board under Malaysia’s previous king reduced his prison term to six years and cut the fine to 50 million ringgit, moving his scheduled release date to August 23, 2028.
Friday’s decision does not eliminate the remainder of that sentence but changes how it will be served, permitting Najib to complete it under house arrest provided he fulfils the conditions of the royal pardon.