Lawyers for Malaysia’s jailed former prime minister Najib Razak on Wednesday dismissed speculation about his imminent transfer to house arrest, as his former ruling party struggles to raise the 50 million ringgit (US$12.3 million) fine needed to bring him home.
The rumours came as Najib’s United Malays National Organisation (Umno) seeks to build on recent electoral victories, with analysts saying his return to house arrest could give the party a boost among supporters ahead of the next general election
Najib, jailed since 2022 over the misappropriation of funds from SRC International, a former subsidiary of scandal-ravaged state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), was granted a reprieve in September when King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest – on the condition that he first settle his multimillion-dollar fine.