Malaysia’s Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) paused former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s transfer to house arrest Friday, hours after a court approved the move, citing legal questions about the royal pardon and court order.
A September pardon from King Sultan Ibrahim gave Najib the option of serving the final two years of his prison term at home. Reuters reported that Najib’s party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), paid the RM50 million fine required by the pardon on his behalf, using money raised through crowdfunding. The payment follows an earlier report that Najib’s lawyer had no update on the planned fine payment.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Najib was taken from prison for dental care Friday. The AGC said the legal interpretation of the pardon and court order needed clarification, and called for implementation to be suspended temporarily while further investigation proceeds. Najib’s lawyers challenged the move, saying there was no lawful basis to keep him in prison and describing the AGC’s action as “executive overreach.”
Najib led Malaysia from 2009 to 2018 and was jailed in a case tied to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state investment fund. In a separate 1MDB-related case, he received a 15-year sentence in December 2025 and has appealed.
The dispute puts UMNO, a member of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government, at odds with Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan alliance, which opposes leniency for Najib. Loke, who leads the Democratic Action Party, said he would resign from Cabinet if Najib begins serving his sentence at home.
