Malaysian ex-PM Najib leaves jail for house arrest after paying fine
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was seen leaving the Kajang Prison compound in a silver car.
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KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was released from jail on Friday (Nov 6) to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, after his fine was paid as part of the terms of a royal pardon.
Najib's party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), said on Friday (Nov 6) that the RM50 million (US$12.3 million) fine was paid to the Kuala Lumpur High Court that morning, after a crowdfunding campaign reached its target.
Utusan Malaysia reported that Najib, 73, left the Kajang Prison compound at 2.37pm in a silver car, accompanied by several escort vehicles and a Malaysian Prisons Department van.
However, his destination has yet to be confirmed, and it is unclear if he will be taken to his residence at Jalan Langgak Duta in Kuala Lumpur.
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The road leading to Najib's upmarket residence was cordoned off with yellow police tape and traffic cones blocking access to the area, an AFP journalist saw at around noon.
Police had parked patrol cars and mobile vans as well as set up two tents near the entrance to the road, in preparation for crowd control.
UMNO party secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said on Friday the "Najib Razak Solidarity Fund", which was set up in September to receive public contributions, had reached its fundraising target. As such, "there is no longer a need for public crowdfunding for this purpose", he said.
Najib, who served as Malaysia's prime minister from 2009 to 2018, has been in jail since 2022.
He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million after being convicted of seven charges involving RM42 million belonging to SRC International, a former subsidiary of state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
In 2024, Malaysia's Pardons Board halved his prison term to six years and reduced his fine to RM50 million.
Najib subsequently mounted a legal battle over what he said was an addendum order by then King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
In September, Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar granted a conditional pardon to Najib, allowing him to serve the remainder of his original sentence under house arrest until his expected release date in August 2028, provided he paid an RM50 million fine.
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