King grants conditional pardon, Najib to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest

KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, has granted a conditional pardon to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028.

The pardon is conditional on payment of the RM50 million fine imposed by the court, and on compliance with the conditions set out.

"If he breaches any of those conditions, the conditional pardon is cancelled, and he must immediately return to prison," the statement on the decision said.

The decision was reached at a meeting of the Federal Territories Pardons Board on Friday morning, a week after Najib's application was deferred at the board's 63rd meeting on September 11.

Before the meeting, a vehicle believed to be carrying the minister in the Prime Minister's Department for federal territories, Hannah Yeoh, was seen entering the grounds of Istana Negara at 7.48am, followed by one believed to be carrying the Attorney General, Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar. Both sit on the board, which is chaired by the King.

The ten days between the two meetings had already drawn attention before the decision was announced. The Straits Times quoted an unnamed official source as saying that a follow-up meeting with a single item on the agenda was a rare step.

Najib was sentenced in 2020 to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million over funds from SRC International. In February 2024, the Pardons Board cut that to six years and RM50 million, setting his release date at August 23, 2028, or a year later if the fine went unpaid.

He still faces other criminal proceedings. In December 2025 he was convicted in his main 1MDB trial and given a further 15 years in prison and a fine of RM11.4 billion, to begin only after his current sentence ends. He is appealing that conviction.

Najib's lawyer, Farhan Shafee, said he was awaiting instructions on the latest development.

The decision set off immediate movement within the unity government. Pakatan Harapan's three most senior leaders, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, were due to meet at 5.30pm at Anwar's office in Putrajaya to discuss it.

Pakatan Harapan has held that those convicted of corruption or abuse of power, particularly in high-profile cases, should serve their sentences in full.

Najib's push to serve his sentence at home is not new. It has run as a long-running legal dispute over an addendum order said to have been issued in 2024.