Malaysia's palace says Najib Razak house arrest order must be respected
The attorney-general delayed Najib's transfer, seeking legal clarity over when his separate 15-year sentence begins.
Malaysia's national palace said Saturday that a royal order allowing imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve his sentence under house arrest must be respected, after the attorney-general delayed his transfer.
Najib left prison Friday once his party paid the 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) fine required by the royal pardon. Hours later, he was returned to prison after the attorney-general intervened, saying further legal clarification was necessary.
At stake is when Najib would begin serving a separate 15-year sentence for corruption and money laundering.
The palace said Najib had met every condition of the pardon. "The conditional pardon order is clear, explicit and without any ambiguity, and is unrelated to any other cases against him," the palace said. It said "any arguments challenging the order would amount to disobeying the command" of the king.
The attorney-general defended his decision Saturday. His office said accusations that the move insulted the king or constituted treason were baseless, and that the delay sought lawful, accurate implementation rather than a challenge to the pardon.
"Seeking legal certainty through the courts is a responsible step toward upholding the integrity of the administration of justice," the office said in a Saturday statement.
The office said the question was whether the court's discharge order ended Najib's first sentence or left him with time still to serve.
The Associated Press described the disagreement over implementation of a royal decree as an uncommon public confrontation between the palace and the government's senior legal office. Malaysia's constitutional monarchy makes the king head of state, while its elected government governs and its courts interpret the law.
King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar issued the conditional pardon on Sept. 18, allowing Najib to serve his remaining sentence at home until Aug. 23, 2028, once the fine was paid.
The separate 15-year sentence falls outside that house arrest order and was imposed in December 2025 at a second 1MDB trial. The court ordered that term to begin when Najib completes his present sentence.
Najib is appealing the 15-year sentence. If that appeal fails, AP said, he could face a further 15 years behind bars once he completes his current term.
