Malaysia's Najib Razak leaves jail for house arrest

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, 73, has arrived at his residence in Kuala Lumpur late Tuesday night to begin serving the remainder of his corruption prison sentence under house arrest, escorted by a heavy police convoy and greeted by throngs of media personnel.

Najib's return concludes a four-year prison term following his conviction over the embezzlement of billions from the country's sovereign wealth fund. The 1MDB scandal previously brought down his administration a decade ago and triggered global investigations reaching from Malaysia to Goldman Sachs and Hollywood.

Investigators estimated that approximately $4.5 billion was siphoned from the state fund co-founded by Najib into private accounts, with prosecutors stating over $1 billion ended up linked to him. Najib's legal team argued he was misled by advisers, notably financier Jho Low, who remains at large.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

"Najib smiles to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court after it cleared the way for him to go home"

EPA

Critics argued his release undermined anti-corruption efforts and questioned its legal basis under Malaysian law. Najib served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018 and was convicted across two trials, with an initial 2020 12-year sentence later halved upon appeal.