Malaysia: ex-PM Najib loses bid for house arrest

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak lost a bid Monday to have his jail term changed to house arrest, a setback ahead of a separate verdict this week tied to the country's 1MDB scandal.

Najib, 72, is serving a six-year jail term for corruption linked to the plunder of Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, which sparked probes in several countries. 

A Malaysian High Court on December 22, 2025, rejected jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak's bid to serve the remainder of his six-year sentence under house arrest, ruling the 2024 royal decree invalid.​

Court ruling details

Judge Alice Loke affirmed the decree's existence but declared it procedurally flawed, as the former king failed to consult the Pardons Board before issuing the house arrest addendum alongside Najib's halved term in the SRC International graft case.

Najib's lawyers argued it compelled enforcement, but the court prioritised constitutional requirements, dashing hopes ahead of his December 26 1MDB verdict on RM2.2 billion charges, as per Channel News Asia.​

Malaysian media coverage

The Edge Malaysia reported Najib's defence plans an appeal, noting his Kajang Prison stint since 2022.

Free Malaysia Today highlighted the dual verdicts' stakes for his freedom in the multibillion-dollar scandal.

The. Straits Times emphasized the procedural lapse, rejecting claims of government concealment.​

The denial escalates pressure on Najib, 72, amid Anwar Ibrahim's administration upholding accountability.

Supporters decry selective justice; critics see royal overreach blocked.

What Najib's lawyers said

Najib's lawyers had argued that the purported existence of an order by Malaysia's former king, called a "royal addendum", granted him permission to serve the rest of his current sentence at home.

But on Monday, Judge Alice Loke Yee Ching Loke disagreed, saying the royal addendum was not a valid order.

Therefore "the court cannot issue an ...order to direct a house arrest", Loke told the Kuala Lumpur High Court. 

"There is no legal provision for house arrest in Malaysia," the judge added. "The judicial review is dismissed."

Najib was tried and originally sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in July 2020, but the term was later halved by a pardons board. 

The 1MDB scandal led to investigations in more than eight countries, including the United States, Switzerland, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, resulting in billions paid back in settlements.

On Friday, Najib faces yet another verdict in a separate trial linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in the 2018 elections.

With inputs from AFP