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Najib Razak Granted Conditional Pardon to Serve Sentence Under House Arrest

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak has been granted a conditional royal pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 2028.

18 September 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Najib Razak Granted Conditional Pardon to Serve Sentence Under House Arrest — Archive photoPhoto: Malaysian government · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been granted a conditional royal pardon, which will enable him to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest. According to reports, the Pardons Board agreed to this decision, subject to Najib paying a fine of 50 million ringgit (approximately 12.3 million US dollars) before he can be transferred to his residence to complete his sentence, which is set to end on August 23, 2028.

The announcement was made on September 18, and it has elicited mixed reactions from various political groups and individuals. The Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) expressed gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, for this decision, stating that Najib still has contributions to make to the country.

In contrast, civil society groups have raised concerns about the implications of Najib's conditional pardon on public confidence in Malaysia’s anti-corruption endeavors. Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) cautioned that such developments may negatively impact trust in anti-corruption efforts, while the election watchdog Bersih urged reflection on the broader implications for future pardons.

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) also expressed appreciation for the royal pardon, with MIC deputy president M Saravanan noting that a few years in prison should be considered sufficient for Najib.

Political parties have begun to evaluate their responses to this development. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) announced plans to hold an emergency central executive committee meeting to discuss their position. Some analysts, however, believe that support for the Pakatan Harapan coalition is unlikely to diminish in light of Najib’s house arrest, citing understanding of the monarch's discretion in pardons.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim addressed concerns regarding the conditional pardon, stating that it does not undermine the government's commitment to fighting corruption. Meanwhile, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi suggested that Najib’s pardon could have a positive influence on the party in the current political landscape.

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