Published: 15:19, September 25, 2026
Malaysia’s Najib seeks 1MDB jail term halt before house arrest
By Bloomberg
This undated photo shows supporters of Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak outside the Malaysia's Court of Appeal and Federal Court in Putrajaya, Malaysia.(PHOTO/BLOOMBERG)

Malaysia’s former premier Najib Razak has applied for a stay of his 15-year prison term and fine over last year’s 1MDB-related conviction, a move that would allow him to serve a separate sentence under house arrest following a conditional royal pardon granted last week.

Najib on Friday applied to stay the prison sentence and an 11.4 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) fine imposed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court last December until all avenues for appeals have been exhausted, according to his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. A hearing is set for Oct 14.

Malaysia’s Pardons Board, chaired by the king, last week allowed Najib to serve the remainder of his six-year jail term for a 2022 conviction under house arrest through August 2028. The sentence, also related to 1MDB, was halved from 12 years under a royal reprieve by the previous king in 2024.

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The house arrest is conditional on Najib paying a 50 million ringgit fine, which Shafee said the former prime minister cannot afford. His party, United Malays National Organisation, has launched a donation drive to help cover the amount.