Malay King Cautions Ex-PM Najib Against Contesting House Arrest Order

Attorney general postponed Najib Razak’s transfer from jail after court cleared him for house arrest on Friday.

Published On 7 Nov 20267 Nov 2026

Malaysia’s king has warned that any attempt to challenge the order granting former Prime Minister Najib Razak house arrest could constitute contention of his decree, shortly after authorities delayed the transfer.

The 73-year-old Najib was jailed for his role in one of the largest-ever global plunders of a sovereign wealth fund, the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

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Earlier this year, King Sultan Ibrahim granted him a conditional pardon in September, which permitted him to serve the remainder of his sentence at home on the condition that he remit a $12 million fine.

On Friday, the country’s attorney general intervened to block the former prime minister’s transfer to house arrest following the fine payment, stating that his office required further clarification regarding the pardon.

The king reiterated on Saturday that there were no outstanding issues, describing the pardon as “clear, evident, and free of ambiguity.”

“There should be no misinterpretation of this order,” King Ibrahim stated in a remark, emphasizing that it was not connected to any other proceedings against the former leader.

“Since all conditions of the conditional pardon have been satisfied, any challenge to the decree ultimately denies the order of His Majesty the King.”

Najib’s legal team expressed gratitude to the monarch, stating there was no legal ground to justify keeping Najib imprisoned for another moment.

“He must be transferred immediately to his residence at Jalan Langgak Duta to observe house arrest, as His Majesty has directed,” Farhan Shafee, a lawyer, declared in a statement.

The Attorney General’s Office released a separate statement shortly thereafter, denying any intention to contest the king’s authority while making no specification about whether immediate release would occur.

“This measure is not intended to impede or deny the execution of the Conditional Pardon Order, but rather to prevent conflicts in order implementation and to guarantee that no sentence is carried out unlawfully,” the statement read.

Several hours later, the prime minister’s office indicated that the attorney general was requesting an audience with the king to seek a pardon and to demonstrate intent to comply, while maintaining that certain legal questions required judicial resolution.

The house arrest order applies solely to Najib’s initial conviction.

He is pending an additional 15 years in prison following a guilty verdict from last year in a separate 1MDB-related case, with the sentence slated to commence upon the conclusion of his house arrest period. Najib is currently appellating the judgement.

The monarch, held through a rotational system among Malaysia’s nine regional sultans, performs a largely ceremonial function while retaining discretionary authority to grant pardons under powers conferred by the national constitution.

Malaysians regard the monarch and the country’s other sultans with profound respect; any disparaging remarks may be prosecuted under the colonial-era Sedition Act.

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