Malaysia’s jailed former Prime Minister, Najib Razak, is working to meet the conditions required for him to leave prison and serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, his lawyers said on Sunday.
According to Reuters, one of the conditions requires Najib to pay a 50 million ringgit ($12 million) fine. His lawyers said his ability to raise the money could be complicated because some of his assets, bank accounts and properties remain frozen or subject to government enforcement proceedings.
Najib, who served as Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was convicted of corruption linked to the embezzlement of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state investment fund he co-founded while in office. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
Malaysia’s King agreed on Friday to allow Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, marking the second royal pardon connected to his conviction in the multibillion-dollar financial scandal.
However, Malaysia’s Prisons Department said on Sunday that it was still waiting for official written confirmation of the pardon before taking further action. Under Malaysian law, the Home Affairs Minister can designate a property as a prison, potentially allowing Najib’s home to be formally designated as the place where he serves his sentence.
Najib’s lawyers said he had been deeply moved by the public support he received following the decision.
Meanwhile, UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party would launch a fundraising campaign to help Najib pay the fine. Local media reported that nearly 1 million ringgit had been raised by Saturday afternoon.
The development comes as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s multi-party coalition government, which includes UMNO and the DAP, faces internal disagreements over its handling of corruption-related issues.
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