Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak moves to house arrest

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been allowed to move from prison to house arrest after his political party paid a 50 million ringgit ($12.3 million) court fine, DW and the South China Morning Post reported on Friday. Najib served as the sixth prime minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018. [1][2][11]

The United Malays National Organization paid the required sum using money gathered through a donation drive, according to party secretary-general Asyraf Wajid Dusuki. Najib was convicted for his role in the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund scandal, in which millions of dollars were embezzled. [1][2]

The terms of a royal pardon granted by King Sultan Ibrahim in September allow Najib to serve the rest of his six-year prison sentence at home until August 2028, the South China Morning Post reported. Najib served as the president of the United Malays National Organization from November 2008 until May 2018. [1][2][11]

Separately, Tengku Puteri Zainah, the former wife of Najib Razak, died at the age of 70, The Straits Times reported on Friday. [3]