A court’s decision to keep former Malaysian leader Najib Razak behind bars has reopened fault lines between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition and Umno, the country’s once-dominant ruling party.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday rejected Najib’s application to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, ruling that a purported addendum to a royal clemency order “had no legal effect because it was never deliberated by the Pardons Board”.
The decision meant the 72-year-old remains in Kajang Prison, where he is serving a reduced six-year sentence over the misappropriation of 42 million ringgit (US$10.3 million) of public funds from a former subsidiary of the scandal-ridden sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Najib’s lawyers have said they plan to appeal.
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On Friday, the court is due to deliver its verdict in a separate, larger case against Najib involving billions of ringgit allegedly siphoned from 1MDB, charges he has denied.
The court ruling on Monday prompted a lawmaker from the Democratic Action Party, a key ally of Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition, to post a comment on social media widely seen as rejoicing at Najib’s setback.
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The party’s Publicity Secretary Yeo Bee Yin shared a news article on the ruling with a caption that reads: “Another reason to celebrate this year end.”