A Malaysian court cleared the way on Tuesday for jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to be transferred to house arrest after a legal dispute over a previous directive.
Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Aslam Zainuddin delivered the ruling regarding the former leader. "In accordance with the order of conditional pardon, the accused shall serve the remainder of the reduced sentence of six years imprisonment under house arrest," Judge Aslam Zainuddin said on Tuesday.
Najib, 73, was imprisoned for his role in one of the largest thefts of public funds ever recorded from the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad entity. He was granted a conditional pardon in September.
On Friday, Najib’s political party paid the 12 million dollar fine required under the terms of the royal pardon. He was due to leave prison at that point.
The attorney general postponed his transfer to house arrest after raising questions over the legal interpretation of the royal pardon and the court order allowing Najib to leave jail.
King Sultan Ibrahim warned that any attempt to challenge his order to let Najib leave jail and move to house arrest could amount to defiance against his decree.
The king, a position held in rotation by Malaysia’s nine regional sultans, plays a largely ceremonial role. He holds the authority to grant pardons under discretionary powers granted by the Malaysian Constitution.
Reporting from outside the court in Kuala Lumpur, journalist Rob McBride described the political and constitutional controversy in the country. The king made it plain he was not happy with the interference of the attorney general over the weekend, and that it set a difficult precedent, according to the report. The situation reflects the complicated relationship between the monarchy, the courts and the government.
The house arrest order applies only to Najib’s first conviction.
He faces an additional 15 years in prison after being found guilty last year in another case linked to the state fund, with that sentence set to begin after his stint under house arrest ends.
Najib has appealed that case, and his lawyers requested that the jail term and fines be halted, citing his poor health and inability to pay the fine.
