Kuala Lumpur, November 6: Malaysia's Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) late on Friday temporarily suspended the implementation of house arrest for jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, hours after a court cleared him to leave prison and begin serving the rest of his sentence at home, Reuters reported. "In this regard, the implementation of house arrest... should be temporarily suspended until further investigation and clarification," the AGC said in a three-page statement, adding that questions had arisen over the legal interpretation of King Sultan Ibrahim's pardon and of the court order allowing Najib to leave jail.

Source: Reuters via DevDiscourse

Najib's brief exit from prison on Friday was a scheduled dental check, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said, according to Reuters. Police and crowds of media had gathered for most of the day outside the former premier's cordoned-off Kuala Lumpur home in anticipation of his arrival, and his lawyer Farhan Shafee had earlier said the transfer was expected to take place on Friday "if the process goes according to plan." Najib's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the attorney-general's move, Reuters said.

Two readings of the King's pardon

The AGC said the confusion turns on how the Conditional Pardon Order dated September 18, 2026 — granted by King Sultan Ibrahim for Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, subject to settling the RM50 million fine — should be read, and on the effect of the Order of Discharge on Payment of Fine dated November 6, which orders immediate release while also stipulating house arrest until August 23, 2028. Under one interpretation, paying the fine satisfies only the fine component, and the remaining prison sentence continues until August 23, 2028, with house arrest as "an alternative method or place for serving the remainder of the prison sentence, and not a termination of the prison sentence," the AGC said. Under the second interpretation, paying the fine lets the pardon take full effect and the entire SRC International sentence, including the prison term, is deemed completed.

Source: Attorney-General's Chambers statement via Media Selangor

"This temporary deferment is not intended to dispute or set aside the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's decree; rather, it is a measure to ensure that the decree and the related court orders are executed accurately, in an orderly manner and in line with the true legal position," the AGC said. It said Najib should remain at his current place of detention throughout the deferment, subject to the powers and directions of the relevant authorities, and that it would take further action once the scrutiny and clarification are completed. The fine itself was settled on Friday: Najib's special officer Ahmad Lutfi Azhar attended the High Court's Criminal Registry at 11.30 a.m. to complete the payment and administrative procedures, according to the AGC statement.

Why the answer also decides the second case

The SRC question matters beyond this sentence: the AGC noted that the status of the remaining SRC prison term directly affects Najib's sentence in the separate 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case, because a court order stipulates that the 1MDB sentence must begin after the SRC sentence is completed — and the High Court dismissed his application to stay execution of the 1MDB sentence on October 14. In that second case, decided in December last year, Najib was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $2.8 billion (yaani about 280 crore US dollars) for abuse of power and money laundering; he has lodged an appeal.

The case behind it

Najib, 73, prime minister from 2009 to 2018, has been in Kajang Prison since August 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International, a former unit of the state fund 1MDB, which he co-founded. US investigators say as much as $4.5 billion was siphoned from 1MDB in a globe-spanning scheme, and prosecutors have said more than $1 billion allegedly made its way into accounts linked to Najib — allegations he has repeatedly denied, insisting he was made a scapegoat for the scheme.

The politics moved as fast as the law on Friday. Transport Minister Loke, who also leads the Democratic Action Party — the largest member of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ruling bloc — said on Friday he would resign from the cabinet as soon as Najib begins house arrest, Reuters reported. Former lawmaker Tony Pua, who helped uncover the 1MDB scandal, called Najib "Malaysia's biggest crook" in a Facebook post and criticised UMNO for fundraising to free him — that is Pua's stated opinion. UMNO is part of Anwar's multi-party government, while Anwar's Pakatan Harapan alliance has strongly opposed leniency for Najib, and Reuters reported the transfer could deepen tension inside the coalition; the next general election is due by early 2028, and Anwar has said he could call a snap poll if rifts deepen.

What happens next: the transfer stays suspended until the AGC obtains what it called clear and definitive legal clarification of the pardon and the discharge order — described by the chambers as a situation never encountered before. Until then, one of Malaysia's most influential and divisive politicians remains behind the walls of Kajang Prison, four years into his sentence, with both his house arrest and the start of his second, longer sentence waiting on the same legal answer.