Malaysia’s Pas and Umno to press for Najib’s release into house arrest

Pas and its former ally Umno are set to hold a rally in support of ex-prime minister Najib Razak, who is in jail over the 1MDB scandal

Reading Time:3 minutes

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak being escorted during a break in court proceedings in Kuala Lumpur in April. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:29pm, 30 Dec 2024Updated: 3:34pm, 30 Dec 2024

Najib Razak’s house arrest saga has pulled political rivals Umno and main opposition party Pas closer, after the parties vowed to rally next week in solidarity with the jailed former prime minister, whose quickest route to release into house arrest appears to have been blocked.

Najib, 71, has taken the Malaysian government to court accusing it of hiding a decree by Sultan Abdullah, Malaysia’s former king, granting him the right to serve the remainder of his prison sentence for corruption linked to the 1MDB scandal at home.

But rumours of an early release for Najib, whose 12-year jail term has already been halved, have outraged his critics, who say Malaysians are still picking up the bill caused by the multibillion-dollar fraud at the sovereign fund, established by the former prime minister.

On Saturday, Malaysia’s current king, Sultan Ibrahim, said Najib’s purported house arrest order was not correctly executed.

In a statement issued on behalf of Sultan Ibrahim, the Attorney General’s Chamber said while the power to pardon was the sole discretion of the monarch, it must be done through the Pardons Board “and not through any other channels”.

But Najib’s power base within Umno, a member of the government coalition, has refused to give up on its bid to release its former party president.