KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been granted conditional royal clemency, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, according to an announcement from the Prime Minister’s Department on Friday, September 18, 2026.
The decision by Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim comes four years after Najib began serving a prison sentence linked to the SRC International corruption case, which is connected to the wider 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) financial scandal. Under the new order, the former premier will be permitted to serve the remainder of his sentence at home until August 23, 2028, subject to the conditions of the pardon.
Malaysia King Approves Conditional Pardon for Najib Razak
The decision was made during the 64th meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, held at Istana Negara.
The Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department said Sultan Ibrahim had consented to grant Najib a conditional pardon. The order allows the former leader to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest rather than in prison.
However, the pardon comes with a financial condition. Najib must pay a fine of RM50 million. Authorities also stated that he must comply with all statutory conditions attached to the order.
If he fails to meet those conditions, the conditional pardon may be revoked, requiring him to return to prison to complete the remainder of his sentence.
Former Prime Minister’s Corruption Case and Prison Sentence
Najib Razak, 73, served as Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 to 2018. He began his prison sentence at Kajang Prison on August 23, 2022, after Malaysia’s Federal Court upheld his conviction in the SRC International case.
In July 2020, the High Court sentenced Najib to 12 years in prison and imposed a RM210 million fine after finding him guilty of seven charges involving RM42 million in SRC International funds.
The conviction and sentence were later upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2021 and the Federal Court in August 2022.
In January 2024, Malaysia’s Pardons Board reduced his prison sentence from 12 years to six years and lowered the fine to RM50 million. The revised sentence was scheduled to end on August 23, 2028.
Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing and maintained that he was made a scapegoat in the broader financial scandal.
House Arrest Decision Comes Amid Wider 1MDB Proceedings
The former prime minister’s legal troubles extend beyond the SRC International case. The 1MDB scandal involved allegations of billions of dollars being misappropriated from Malaysia’s state investment fund.
In a separate case linked to 1MDB, Najib was sentenced in December 2025 to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay a total fine of RM11.4 billion after being convicted of abuse of power and money laundering charges. He filed an appeal against that decision.
The house arrest order announced on September 18 concerns the remainder of his earlier sentence. It does not resolve the separate ongoing legal proceedings connected to 1MDB.
Malaysia’s government has said that the conditional pardon does not change its position on fighting corruption. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that ongoing corruption cases, including those involving Najib, must continue to be handled according to the law.
The decision is expected to keep public attention focused on Najib’s legal status, royal clemency and the continuing consequences of Malaysia’s major financial scandal.
