Jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is set to serve the remainder of his corruption sentence under house arrest. His political party confirmed on Friday that his court-ordered fine has been paid in full.
Najib led the country from 2009 to 2018. A court found him guilty of corruption linked to the embezzlement of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund he co-founded during his time in office. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The monarch of Malaysia agreed in September to let Najib complete his prison term at home. This decision followed a second royal pardon granted over his conviction.
The United Malays National Organization stated that settling the financial penalty was a mandatory condition of the royal pardon. The party gathered the required funds through a public fundraising campaign.
"UMNO has completed all payment processes to the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning," the party said in a statement.
The payment amounted to 50 million ringgit, which equals approximately 12.32 million US dollars. Officials have not yet announced the exact date for the transfer of the former leader to his residence, and an aide to the former premier did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
American investigators previously estimated that as much as 4.5 billion dollars was siphoned away in the globe-spanning financial scheme. Their findings indicate that more than one billion dollars allegedly reached accounts linked directly to Najib.
Najib has maintained his innocence, claiming he was made the scapegoat for the intricate conspiracy.
