Court Denies Najib Razak's House Arrest Bid Amid Corruption Sentence

A Malaysian court dismissed former Prime Minister Najib Razak's attempt to serve his corruption sentence under house arrest. Najib claimed there was an addendum allowing this, but the court ruled the government had no legal duty to verify it. Najib's legal team plans to appeal.

In a significant legal development, a Malaysian court has dismissed former Prime Minister Najib Razak's request to serve the remainder of his corruption sentence under house arrest. The court ruled Wednesday that the government has no legal obligation to verify a claimed royal addendum allowing house arrest.

Najib's application, filed in April, cited information that then-King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah issued an order during a January 29 pardons board meeting. This meeting, Najib alleged, also cut his 12-year jail sentence by half and reduced his fine. Najib's counsel, Mohamed Shafee Abdullah, expressed disappointment over the ruling and confirmed plans to appeal.

The controversy deepens as Najib accuses multiple high-ranking officials of concealing the sultan's order. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail denied knowledge of such an order, while Najib's defense claims digital evidence supports their case. Najib, convicted in the 1MDB corruption scandal, is due to serve his sentence until August 2028.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)