Najib loses bid for house arrest as Malaysia court rejects disgraced ex-PM’s request

The former PM was denied a request to serve the remainder of his jail term for corruption under house arrest. His lawyers plan to appeal

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Najib Razak at a court in Kuala Lumpur last month during his house arrest hearings. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:37am, 3 Jul 2024Updated: 11:49am, 3 Jul 2024

A Malaysian court on Wednesday threw out a bid by disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest, months after the pardons board halved his 12-year sentence for stealing millions of dollars from a former unit of scandal-tainted state fund 1MDB.

Najib had applied for court approval to challenge the government regarding a document his legal team said was signed by the country’s former king, allowing him to swap his stay at Kajang Prison for the comfort of his own home.

Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the government had no legal obligation to respond to Najib’s application, dismissing supporting affidavits filed by two leaders of his Umno party as “hearsay”, his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said.

Najib can still take his appeal to a higher court after Wednesday’s ruling.

“The decision today was very disappointing,” Shafee told reporters at a news conference after the hearing. “I completely do not agree with the decision as it was wrong, but it was the decision of the court.”

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Najib’s defence team said they will appeal the decision, and may consider filing a separate writ to compel the government to respond.